Player grades: Leevi Merilainen, Mads Sogaard are Swiss cheese in Senators blowout loss

Leevi Merilainen and Mads Sogaard combined to allow eight goals in the first 40 minutes on Thursday, as the Ottawa Senators’ NHL-worst team save percentage reached a new low in an 8-2 trouncing against the Colorado Avalanche.

No time to waste. Let’s get to the player grades.

Forwards

Tim Stutzle: A-

This team needed to show any emotion at all in the third period, after going down 8-1 in the first 40 minutes. Stutzle decided it was a good time for his second NHL fight, and I concur. He gave a couple of good shots to Samuel Girard and took one big one as he fell to the ice.

Brady Tkachuk: C

He scored a shorthanded goal in the third, but everything in the final frame should be considered garbage time. When the Sens were still in it back in the first period, Tkachuk’s inability to accept a Jake Sanderson outlet pass led to an icing call, and Josh Manson made it 1-0 immediately after the ensuing face-off. He had a game-high seven shots.

Fabian Zetterlund: B

Zetterlund gave the Sens hope with a heroic effort to score on his own rebound while down on one knee at the edge of the crease, but the would-be 3-2 goal was called back after Colorado challenged for offside.

Dylan Cozens: B-

Three shots and four hits in 14:02 of ice time.

Shane Pinto: B

It was a mixed bag for Pinto. He was caught in no man’s land on Nathan MacKinnon’s 2-0 goal and created a bit of a screen for Merilainen, but he later ripped a wrist shot bar down on Scott Wedgewood to cut it to 3-1 and end a personal eight-game goalless drought.

Ridly Greig: A-

Greig’s puck touches were solid, he created a couple scoring opportunities when the game was still in reach, and it was evident that he and Claude Giroux had some good chemistry playing on a newly formed line. Bonus points for getting kicked out of the game in the third.

Claude Giroux: B+

He had the primary assist on Pinto’s goal.

Michael Amadio: C+

Only one goal in his past 27 games.

Lars Eller: C+

Eller had one shot, one hit and one block in 11:10 of ice time in his return from a broken foot; he missed 12 games. Eller deserved to get back in the lineup, but it’s unfortunate that it had to come at the expense of Stephen Halliday.

Nick Cousins: C

He wasn’t remotely close to being onside on the entry before Zetterlund’s goal, which derailed what turned out to be the Sens’ only real attempt to claw back.

David Perron: C+

Perron was slightly more noticeable with coach Travis Green spreading out ice time amongst the forward corps on the second half of a back to back.

Drake Batherson: B-

He had three shots in 15:15 of ice time.

Defencemen

Jake Sanderson: B-

Sanderson extended his point streak to six games with a secondary assist on the Pinto goal. He had two shots, three hits and two blocks, including a particularly brave one on a Cale Makar bomb. He failed to get the puck out on the penalty kill and it led to Martin Necas’ 4-1 goal. Sanderson finished minus-2.

Tyler Kleven: A+

One of the best games I’ve seen him play in a long time. He was downright mean in the opening few minutes, throwing two big hits and surviving a fight with Manson, a noted tough customer. It was all him on Tkachuk’s shorthanded marker; Kleven broke the puck out with his speed, led the rush and put a good shot on net before the captain cleaned it up.

Artem Zub: C

Zub didn’t have the best gap control on Makar’s 3-0 goal and finished minus-3.

Thomas Chabot: D+

Chabot got walked by Brent Burns for a scoring chance in the first, had the 5-1 goal go in off of his body, and finished minus-3.

Jordan Spence: B

Spence had the highest possession numbers on the team; he was on the ice for 33 shot attempts for and 11 against at even strength.

Nikolas Matinpalo: C

He looked like a guy who hadn’t played since Dec. 29. Many pass attempts were total grenades and he was caught out of position too often. It’s not all on Matinpalo; he needs to play more.

Goalies

Leevi Merilainen: F

Each of the three goals he allowed before being pulled were stoppable. It’s that simple.

Mads Sogaard: D+

Coming into the game in relief of Merilainen, Sogaard kept it close for a few minutes, stopping the first eight shots he saw, making a right pad save on Artturi Lehkonen in the slot and calmy stopping a Parker Kelly redirect in tight. He then proceeded to allow five goals on eight subsequent shots. The Avs scored on three consecutive one-timers to finish the second.

Now it’s time for your take; tell us in the comment section which Senators impressed you and who needs to improve their game.

Related