The Ottawa Senators’ two-game winning streak ended on Tuesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre, but the late concern centred on Nick Cousins after he left the game following a hit from Jakob Chychrun.
It was a tight, momentum-shifting game from the start. Matt Roy scored just 35 seconds in to give Washington a 1-0 lead, before Ridly Greig tied it at 1-1 at 11:05 of the second period. Ottawa then moved ahead 2-1 when Hayden Hodgson scored with under four minutes left in the second period.
Senators respond, but Capitals stay in it
The Senators did not fold after falling behind early, and they were able to build pressure as the game wore on. Ottawa outshot Washington 25-17, which makes the final result sting even more given how little separated the sides over 60 minutes.
Washington kept finding answers, though. Pierre-Luc Dubois tied the game at 2-2 at 12:31 of the third period, setting up a tense finish in regulation and a quick ending in overtime.
Late penalty and overtime finish
With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Cousins left the game after the hit from Chychrun. Then, with less than a minute left before overtime, Fabian Zetterlund was penalized for delay of game.
That gave the Capitals a key advantage once the extra period arrived, and shortly after the penalty expired, Cole Hutson scored the winner to complete the 3-2 comeback. It was a frustrating finish for Ottawa, who had led twice but still came away empty-handed.
The result leaves the Senators at 11-6-2, and while the performance showed enough competitiveness to stay in the game, the loss of Cousins late was the most worrying moment of the night. The next question is how Ottawa respond after a defeat that combined a narrow overtime loss with a physical setback for one of their forwards.
