Senators Stifle Rangers with Historic Defensive Performance
Novel YORK — James Reimer and the Ottawa Senators delivered a stunning defensive performance on Monday night, limiting the New York Rangers to a mere nine shots on goal in a 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden. This marked the fewest shots allowed in franchise history for the Senators and the Rangers’ lowest shot total since 1955 – and the fewest by any NHL team in over two decades.
“The boys played great,” said Reimer, the Ottawa goaltender following the game.
Injuries Mount, Defense Steps Up
The Senators’ remarkable defensive showing was made even more impressive by the fact that they played more than half the game with only four defensemen. Injuries to Thomas Chabot and Lassi Thomson during the game further depleted their blue line.
Chabot left late in the first period after being struck in the arm by Rangers captain J.T. Miller, while Thomson exited in the second period with a lower-body injury. Both players are expected to be sidelined for an extended period, according to coach Travis Green as reported by Yahoo Sports.
“Whenever you get down to four D-men and you find a way to win, it’s a gutsy effort,” said Warren Foegele, who scored his fifth goal in nine games since joining the Senators in a trade from Los Angeles .
Historical Defensive Outing
Ottawa was already dealing with injuries to Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen before Monday’s game. Despite the challenges, the remaining defensemen stepped up, with Jordan Spence logging a career-high 26 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time. Tyler Kleven played 24:30, Artem Zub 23:44, and Nikolas Matinpalo 18:19.
“With two defensemen going down, guys have to step up, play a lot more minutes than they’re used to,” Green said. “Give them all credit. They played a hell of a game back there.”
The Senators became the first team since the salary-cap era began in 2005-06 to hold an opponent under 10 shots. The last time a team achieved this feat was on December 4, 2003, when the New Jersey Devils limited the Washington Capitals to nine shots according to The Star.
The Rangers’ record book shows their single-game lowest total as nine shots in a loss at Detroit on December 11, 1955.
Rangers Struggle to Generate Offense
“They were better than us,” said Rangers captain J.T. Miller, lamenting his team’s performance after celebrating teammate Mika Zibanejad’s 1,000th regular-season game .
Since January 25th, the Senators have allowed the fewest shots against in the NHL, averaging just over 21 shots per game. They previously limited the Toronto Maple Leafs to 14 shots and the New York Islanders to 19.
“That’s part of our structure,” Spence said. “That’s part of our identity, so we have to retain that going in order to win games.”
Reimer, despite facing limited action, acknowledged the mental challenge of such a low-shot game. “These games are a lot harder than a 30- or a 40-shot night,” he said. “You’re not in a rhythm. You’re not feeling it. It’s not just happening, so you’ve just got to trust it and trust that your body knows what it has to do when the time comes. It’s a difficult game as a goalie to play mentally, but you just trust it.”
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