3 least impressive Ottawa Senators players from 8-4 loss to Buffalo Sabres ft. Leevi Marilainen

The Ottawa Senators were on the wrong end of an 8-4 shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center.

The Sabres entered the game 0-3 and reeling. But a strong overall performance from Buffalo sunk the Senators, who played without captain Brady Tkachuk.

Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod, and Jason Zucker scored twice for the Buffalo Sabres. Jiri Kulich and Alex Tuch added the others for Buffalo. Meanwhile, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson (PPG), Shane Pinto, and Lars Eller replied for the Ottawa Senators.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Ottawa Senators from their 8-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

3 least impressive Ottawa Senators players from loss to Buffalo Sabres

#3 Nick Jensen

Ottawa Senators veteran blueliner Nick Jensen didn’t have one of the best games of his career. He ended the night a minus-2 against the Sabres in over 16 minutes of ice time across 26 shifts.

In particular, Alex Tuch’s goal shed some light on how poorly the Senators played defensively on Wednesday night.

Here’s a look at the goal:

With Tuch parked in front of the Senators’ goal, Jenson, nor anyone for that matter, did anything to remove him. The puck came to the front of the net, where Tuch landed the shot without hindrance.

Jensen, meanwhile, stood at the side of the net, unable to do anything to prevent the goal. The tally made the game 3-2 and was part of a four-goal implosion by the Sens.

#2 Thomas Chabot

Another Ottawa defender, Thomas Chabot, did not look good on Wednesday night. While forwards Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson ended the game as minus-3, it was Chabot who looked even more out of place than either forward.

In particular, Ryan McLeod’s second of the night made Chabot look like his feet were stuck in concrete. Here’s a look at the goal:

The play started with a 2-on-2 as Alex Tuch and McLeod took on the Senators’ defenders. Tuch’s drop pass negated Jensen on the play, leaving Chabot 1-on-1 against McLeod. McLeod proceeded to make a small shift to his left and drill the puck home for the goal.

Chabot stood in front of goalie Leevi Merilainen, unable to do much to prevent McLeod from letting the shot go. The Sens veteran blueliner ended the night with nearly 22 minutes of ice time across 20 shifts.

#1 Leevi Merilainen

The Senators’ backup netminder surrendered seven goals on 26 shots. He looked completely out of place, particularly on McLeod’s shorthanded goal.

Take a look:

Merilainen completely misplayed the puck that came around the boards behind the net. He managed to get back in the net to stop the initial shot. But he had no clue where the puck was. By the time the puck came around to McLeod, Merilainen was in no position to make the save.

The bungled play was just one example of how bad Wednesday night was for Merilainen. The Senators may need to decide what to do about their backup goalie situation moving forward.

The Ottawa Senators will have little time to regroup as they face the Seattle Kraken at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan