SUNRISE — The trendy hashtag among cynical hockey fans who have given up hope for their teams this season revolves around Rasmus Dahlin, a 17-year-old defenceman playing for Frolunda expected to be the next great Swedish sensation.
Now 13 points out of the last playoff spot in their division, the Senators appear to be #FallinforDahlin.
In their last game before the Christmas break, Mike Condon showed up but very few of his teammates followed. The result was a mostly listless 1-0 loss to the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Saturday night.
The Senators enter the holidays with an 11-15-8 record for 30 points that leaves they ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres (25 points) and Arizona Coyotes (21 points) in the overall standings.
Finishing third last would give Ottawa decent odds at the lottery pick that could land a 6-foot-1, 165-pound prospect some are saying could be better than Erik Karlsson.
Filling in for the ill Craig Anderson, Condon made 37 saves, while his teammates fired 38 shots on James Reimer one night after he and the Panthers defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-2. But it was the Senators who looked like were playing the second of back-to-back games until the third period, when they tested Reimer with 18 shots.
Jonathan Huberdeau had the only goal through at 1:36 of the second period, skating away from Mark Stone to take a Nick Bjugstad pass he relayed behind Condon from the left-wing circle.
Condon kept the Senators in it to the end, making a big stop off Bjugstad late in the third. A minute later, Reimer stoned Ottawa’s best skater on this night, Cody Ceci.
The Senators pulled Condon for an extra attacker with 1:45 left. That turned into a two-man advantage when Aaron Ekblad broke his stick cross-checking Jean-Gabriel Pageau in front of the net with 1:11 remaining. But Pageau negated that advantage when he took an interference penalty with 56 seconds to go.
Ottawa never threatened to tie it in the end.
Trying to extend their power play goal streak to three games, the Senators came close on their first opportunity, midway through the middle period, when Mike Hoffman’s wrist shot changed directions and hit a post.
The Senators survived their two shorthanded situations in the middle frame.
Karlsson took the night’s first penalty at the at 3:32 mark
Condon makes nice glove stop off Trocheck while being screened.
Karlsson had a partial breakaway with the Senators killing their second, but his shot was gloved by Reimer.
Condon stopped Evgeni Dadonov on 2-on-1 break late in the second period, when the Panthers outshot the Senators 18-13.
Condon stopped all 12 shots he faced in the first period, with perhaps the biggest off Jonathan Huberdeau, who in alone off an Ottawa turnover, in the last minute.
The Senators tested Reimer just seven times in the opening 20 minutes and their best chance wasn’t even a shot on goal, but when Nick Paul was parked in front but couldn’t get his stick on a pass from Cody Ceci.
Missing two injured forwards they started the trip with in Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith, the Senators had an all-AHL line of Nick Paul-Filip Chlapik-Chris DiDomenico. Guy Boucher intended on using them only sparingly.
“The problem is you’re on the road,” Boucher said earlier in the day. “I’m going to have to shuffle lines for sure. I can’t go like I’ve been doing the last games. First of all, the guys are not there. Of course, the guys from the American League, I doubt that’ll I’ll be able to put them out there as a line very often. Of course, the opponent is probably going to wait for that, and send their best line out there. That’s just the way it is. I’ll have to manage that.”
Against the Panthers, a team he saw has having a “quick” four lines and also one that forechecks well, he had planned on relying on pairings and doing a lot of line juggling.
“If you see you’re getting eaten alive on match-ups, I’ll have to change either my order or players on those lines,” said Boucher. “Definitely, they’ve got the upper hand. That’s what makes it tough on the road. Especially, when you’ve got a lot of new guys coming in.”