Senators blank Canucks in G Condon's Ottawa debut
OTTAWA -- Goalie Mike Condon stopped 27 shots in his Senators debut, sparking Ottawa to a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.
The shutout was the second of Condon's 57-game NHL career. It was also the Senators' third shutout in 10 games this season.
Condon was acquired on Wednesday in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that cost the Senators a fifth-round draft pick. It was a necessary move for the Senators, whose starting goalie, Craig Anderson, left the team for a second time be with his wife. Nicholle Anderson was recently diagnosed with cancer.
The Senators are also without backup goalie Andrew Hammond, who is nursing a groin injury.
Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots.
Senators winger Mike Hoffman scored the only goal at 14:42 of the second period. The unassisted effort was his second of the season.
Hoffman knocked down a pass by Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson in the Vancouver zone, and then beat a diving Markstrom to the loose puck. Hoffman was left to spin and fire a shot into the open net.
The loss was the seventh in a row for the Canucks, who fell to 4-6-1. The win improved the Senators record to 7-3-0.
Condon made a breakaway save off Canucks winger Jannik Hansen around the midway mark of the third. Hansen fended off Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf before letting go a shot that Condon blocked.
Condon also survived a mad scramble around his net in the last minute.
The Senators outshot the Canucks 9-6 in a first period that was highlighted by a couple of fights and a dash by Senators winger Bobby Ryan, who set up center Derick Brassard with the best chance of the opening 20 minutes.
The Canucks held a 9-8 edge in shots in the second.
The Senators' next game is Saturday, when they host the Buffalo Sabres. The Canucks will continue on their six-game road trip with stop No. 3 Saturday night in Toronto.
NOTES: Senators RW Mark Stone missed the game with a neck injury suffered Tuesday against Carolina. He is listed as day-to-day. ... Stone was replaced by Senators F Max McCormick, who was recalled from the farm team in Binghamton. ... Senators D Chris Wideman was a game-day scratch with an upper-body injury. ... Senators D Fredrik Claesson was recalled from Binghamton to fill in for Wideman. ... Canucks D Christopher Tanev aggravated a lower-body injury that kept him out of three games on Monday in Montreal. He was replaced in the lineup by D Nikita Tryamkin. ... Canucks scratched F Jack Skille and D Alex Biega.