Ottawa Loses Battle of the Schmucks

In the first of 3 meetings between the Schmuck Gm's this year, Edmonton pulled off a narrow victory versus the Senators. The game was very even as both teams fired 26 shots on net but Turek lost the battle as the Bulin wall wouldn't crumble.

The first period was a wash for the Oilers as they fired two goals past Turek on incredible plays. Less than 1 minute into the game, Kariya and Allison set the tone with a beauty to shock the Sens and take the lead. Shortly thereafter, Smith scored his 4th of the year when Frolov made an excellent pass to Primeau.

The second period saw Frolov and Allison get their 2nd points of the game as they set Donovan up for an early goal to give the Oil a 3 goal lead. The Sens fought back as Grosek scored from Bouchard and Novak at the 8 minute mark to cut the lead to two heading into the 3rd.

Morrison put the Sens within reach a few minutes in from Selanne and Ryder but that would not be enough. The Sens badly outshot and outplayed the Oilers in the 3rd but Nikolai Khabibulin shut the door to give the Oilers the victory.

The Ottawa powerplay was 0 for 6 and could have been the difference in the game against the undisciplined team from Edmonton. However, the powerplay has been relatively ineffective of late as the Sens cannot seem to find an effective combination.

The Sens suit up tonight against the Leafs in the 2nd game of their double-header on the road and hope for a better result.