OTTAWA It was another close, tight-checking game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators, another one of those games that cried out for a great individual play to be the difference.For the second time in November, Senators forward Kyle Turris came up with that play. He scored late in the game to give the Senators a 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes at Canadian Tire Centre. It was the same story Nov. 1 in the Senators’ 2-1 win over the Hurricanes.The Senators (13-7-1) gave up the first goal in the game for the 11th straight contest and the 16th time in 21 games this season when Sebastian Aho gave the Hurricanes at 1-0 lead at 11:24 of the first period, but the Senators just kept grinding along.Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf tied it 1-1 at 6:15 of the second and Turris finished off a great breakout and give-and-go with Bobby Ryan to score the winner with 3:32 left in the third period and give the Senators their third straigth victory. Senators goaltender Craig Anderson (11-4-1) made 32 saves.”I don’t know how many games it is that we’ve given up the first goal and it makes absolutely no difference to us,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. “We expect tight games, we’re going to be good in tight games and I know it was an issue last year, but I wasn’t here, but I know as a team there were things to change and that was one of them.”It’s a mental approach and players have really grown. There’s no panic on the bench, there’s no panic when the other team scores first, no panic if we take a penalty or we miss some chances.”The Hurricanes (8-8-4) lost back-to-back games after winning five in a row.”The effort was good. You can’t fault the effort,” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. “It’s not frustrating. It’s reality. They won 2-1 so we have to find a way to score. You have to get to three in this league, typically. Three is the number. We didn’t do that in either of our last two games. We have to find a way to score more.”Senators captain Erik Karlsson, playing his 500th game, started the play on the winning goal when he went back to pick up a rim around in the corner to the right of Anderson. He made a nice little pass to Turris in the circle and he and Ryan passed the puck back and forth up the ice.Turris cut over the Carolina blue line, wheeled around Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin and split the defense. He fired a shot by Ward on the stick side for his team-leading 10th goal and his third game-winning goal of the season.”You don’t want to get in the habit of playing from behind, but we’re showing good mental toughness by not letting a goal affect the way we play,” said Anderson. “We’re not altering the way we play trying to chase that goal. We’re sticking with it and being patient knowing that hopefully one is all they’re going to get, but we have the ability to score and not chase it.”With Carolina backup goaltender Eddie Lack out with a concussion, Ward (7-6-3) started his ninth game in a row. He gave up two goals or fewer in seven straight games.”It is frustrating. Any time you give up a late goal, a game winning goal, it is frustrating,” Ward said. “It’s important we park it here when we fly back to Raleigh and get ready for Florida. We have less than 24 hours to go back out there and continue to do what we’ve been doing. We’ve been playing strong. Tonight was no different. We just weren’t able to find the back of the net.”Both teams have quick turnarounds. The Senators left after the game to travel to New York, where they face the Rangers on Sunday. The Hurricanes are home to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.”Outstanding. It’s perfect,” Peters said of the back-to-back games. “Should be in the wrapper by 4 a.m. Get a little nap in. Have a pre-game meal and play again. It’s great. That’s what they love to do. They’d rather play than practice, I know that.”NOTES: Peters made one lineup change against the Senators, scratching Brock McGinn and putting Andrej Nestrasil in the lineup. Nestrasil was a scratch for the previous six games. … Carolina D Klas Dahlbeck was scratched for the sixth straight game. … Senators forward Ryan Dzingel played after getting 35 stitches in his left ear when he was hit with a deflected shot against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. He had an ear protector on his helmet. … Boucher dressed the same lineup he used for a 3-1 victory against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, meaning D Fredrik Claesson was a scratch again. … Carolina D Ryan Murphy was assigned to Charlotte of the AHL for conditioning Monday. … Senators F Clarke MacArthur, attempting to come back from his fourth concussion in 18 months, resumed skating Saturday after taking a few days off.
Turris again the difference in Hurricanes loss in Ottawa
