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Ottawa Senators Quick Hits: DeBrincat, Talbot & Batherson

The Ottawa Senators beat the Boston Bruins on Tuesday in a shootout. What were some of the quick hits from that game?

On Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators did something few NHL teams have been able to do this season. They beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 in an overtime shootout. It was a close game; but, as the Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery said: “I give credit to Ottawa, but I thought our third, we really got to our game.”

The difference according to Bruins’ coach Montgomery was that “(Cam)Talbot was incredible.”

In this edition of Senators Quick Hits, I’ll take a look at some of the key player news from that game and what that might mean for the Senators’ season.

Quick Hit One: Alex DeBrincat Scores Both in Regulation and in the Shootout

Alex DeBrincat scored two times in Tuesday’s game. But only his first one will count on his season’s statistics. That’s because he scored the second one during the shootout. His first one, however, was his 11th of the season.

Interestingly enough, he was the only one of the overtime shootout competitors who was successful in his attempt. His “real” goal came on a partial breakaway halfway through the second period. He beat Bruins’ goalie Jeremy Swayman cleanly. That put the Senators up by a score of 2-1 lead.

Debrincat traded to Ottawa Senators
Alex Debrincat traded to Ottawa Senators

DeBrincat has been hot for the past dozen games and has put a checkmark on the scoresheet in 11 of those 12 games. In that stretch, he’s totaled five goals and added 11 assists (for 16 points). The 25-year-old DeBrincat is having a strong season for the Senators. In 34 games, he’s scored 11 goals and added 22 assists (for 33 points). That’s just under a point-a-game pace.

Related: HOW HAS EX-MAPLE LEAFS ILYA MIKHEYEV DONE WITH THE CANUCKS?

Quick Hit Two: Drake Batherson Is a Force for the Senators

The 24-year-old Drake Batherson extended his point-scoring streak to 11 games in a row on Tuesday night by registering two assists. During those games, he’s scored seven goals and added nine assists (for 16 points). Interestingly, of those 16 points, 11 of them (six goals and five assists) have been generated on the power play.

Both of Batherson’s assists came during the second period. However, the 6-foot-3, 204-pound right winger was a physical force all game long. With his performance, Batherson tied DeBrincat for second place in the Senators’ scoring with 33 points (with 12 goals and 21 assists). Brady Tkachuk is the Senators’ scoring leader with 13 goals and 24 assists (for 37 points) in 34 games.

Related: Revisiting Maple Leafs & Marner’s 2019 Contract Negotiations

Quick Hit Three: Cam Talbot Was Incredible

To quote Bruins’ coach Montgomery again, Senators’ goalie Cam Talbot had an “incredible” game against his NHL-leading team. Talbot stopped 49 of the 51 shots the Bruins put on his net. He also stopped all three shootout attempts – that’s a lot of shutting the door on the NHL’s best team.

The 35-year-old Talbot is a goalie pilgrim (he’s played with the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Calgary Flames, and the Minnesota Wild before he came to the Senators). He’s showing that he’s lost none of his skills.

Talbot’s previous high for saves this season was 37. He’s put together a strong December, with a record of 6-2-1, a 2.76 goals-against-average, and a .912 save percentage in those nine games.

Related: Senators Shane Pinto’s Only Need This Season? Consistency

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