Alfredsson-less Senators fall to Red Wings
Last Updated: Saturday, October 11, 2008 | 10:54 PM ET
CBC Sports
Ottawa's Chris Phillips, left, battles Detroit's Valtteri Filppula off the puck during the second period. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)How the Ottawa Senators could have used Daniel Alfredsson Saturday.
Sitting on a one-goal lead in the third period, the Senators fell apart and ended up coughing up a pair of goals en route to suffering a 3-2 loss on home ice to the Detroit Red Wings.
Johan Franzen scored his second goal of the game with 1:17 remaining in regulation to complete the Detroit comeback.
Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber was magnificent — especially in the first period when the Red Wings outshot the Senators 17-6 — and he made 38 saves on the night.
But he couldn't stop Franzen's wrist shot from inside the face-off circle that took a slight deflection off Ottawa defenceman Filip Kuba's stick before trickling over the goal-line.
"We came out flat in the first period but I think we were able to play more of our game over the next two periods," Gerber said, adding he didn't have much of an opportunity on the winning goal.
"It looked like an easy shot but it bounced twice and the second bounce popped over my stick. It's over now though and there's nothing you can do about it."
Saturday marked the first regular season game at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont., with the Senators already playing a "home" game among the two they split last weekend with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm.
The Swedish trip came with a cost, as Alfredsson aggravated a bone chip injury in his knee. The Ottawa captain underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday, and the hope is that he will be out of the lineup for only two weeks.
The Red Wings came out flying from the opening face-off, but then picked up consecutive minor penalties to hand the Senators a two-man advantage.
Alexandre Picard, who joined Ottawa in an off-season trade, scored his first goal in a Senators uniform on the ensuing power-play with a wicked slapshot.
Picard said he was surprised that the club has used him so much on the power play this early in the season.
"Coming in I really didn't know what to expect. The coaching staff gave me the opportunity to play on the power play," Picard told Hockey Night in Canada. "We scored three goals in Sweden against Pittsburgh and another tonight. We just shoot the puck. We have talented guys out there."
Detroit's Valtteri Filppula tied things up five minutes later with a wrist shot that eluded Gerber.
Foligno scores a beauty
The teams appeared to be headed into the second intermission tied 1-1, but Ottawa forward Nick Foligno scored with 1:59 left in the period on a brilliant individual effort, fighting his way between two Detroit defenceman before snapping the puck home from the slot.
"I tried to make a move and luckily it squirted through and I was able to get my stick free," said Foligno.
Ottawa expertly held Detroit at bay, but then committed a horrendous line change that paved the way for Franzen to rush down the wing and fire a quick snap shot past Gerber's glove at 11:16 of the third.
The Red Wings continued to press and were rewarded for their persistence late in the game when Franzen bagged his second goal of the night.
"The first one I was dead tired so I only made it to the circle but I saved enough energy to get a good shot away," Franzen said.
"The second one was a lucky one. It got deflected. I was shooting for the first post but it got deflected to the other post. That was a tough play for him."
The Senators continue their five-game homestand next Friday against Phoenix.
The Red Wings will play against Carolina on Monday and then meet the following day with U.S. President George W. Bush when they will be honoured at the White House for their Stanley Cup victory last season.
With files from Canadian Press
