Three Thoughts: Stützle shows poise as Sens get a point in Washington
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Despite the disappointment of seeing a 2-0 lead erased, it presents another opportunity for a young team to learn while Tim Stützle impressed, especially in the third period, as Three Thoughts examines.
Stützle shows poise
According to Senators head coach D.J. Smith, Tim Stützle was arguably the Senators' best player Saturday night.
The 20-year-old played 18:13, 2:49 of which came on the power play, but it was the third period where Stützle really stood out in Smith's mind.
"When the pressure came on in the third period you find out about certain players if they're ready to really be on the big stage or where they're at in their development," Smith said. "And when it's 2-2, crowd is jumping and you could fold to Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov, and you feel that heat, what I saw from Timmy was a calming presence with the puck. He didn't give it away, he continued to skate, going forward, being dangerous, making plays.
"He broke the puck out and that's awfully early in a young guys career to have that kind of poise."
Further to that, Stützle's line as a whole was impressive as his linemates Alex Formenton and Zach Sanford combined to score the Senators' second goal.
"We're building chemistry every day," Formenton said. "In practice, in games, finding each other, learning each other's habits and it's transferring pretty well."
Over the past two games together, the trio has combined for two goals and five points.
"Both those guys were great tonight, they skate so well and make so many good plays," Sanford said. "For us, we supported each other great tonight. I'm just trying to go in there and get pucks back and get it over to them and let them make some plays and both Timmy and Alex did a great job of that tonight."
A point earned, but a chance to learn
Saturday was just the second time this season that the Senators have lost when leading after 40 minutes.
Alex Ovechkin's two goals in the third sent the game to overtime before Nicklas Backstrom ended the game 73 seconds into the extra frame.
"For us, you've got to learn to put games away," Smith said. "We have to learn from it."
But for a team that ranks as the second youngest squad in the NHL, Saturday represents a chance to learn.
"A big focus for us all year is a young team trying to mature through these games and be able to close these games out," Sanford said. "To have a two-goal lead and see it get taken away is pretty tough for us.
"We've just got to keep working."
That starts tonight in Columbus as the Sens conclude a stretch where they have played nine of their last 10 games on the road. Over those nine games, the Sens have collected at least a point in six of those contests with a 3-3-3 record.
"There's a lot of good things we did tonight," Formenton said. "After a loss it's nice to turn the page and play the next day.
"It's fresh in your mind the mistakes you made but it's fresh in your mind the good things you were doing."
Murray earns another point
Over Matt Murray's last three starts, the Sens netminder has backstopped the team to a 2-0-1 record.
On Saturday, he stopped 30 shots as the Sens collected a point. He didn't face his first shot until there was less than four minutes left in the first period but then turned away 16 shots in the middle stanza. He'd make an additional nine saves in the third period and overtime.
"He looked really good," Smith said. "He looked calm. He made all of the saves and the team responded accordingly."
Over his last three appearances, all of which have come on the road, Murray has a 2.66 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He has stopped 90 of the 98 shots he has faced.
"He was great tonight," Sanford said of Murray. "For us to not be able to hold on and help him out a little bit more is tough. He deserved better."
