Not a good look for Jordan Spence. The Senators defenseman ripped a puck after the whistle Thursday night and drilled his own teammate Tim Stützle.
Friendly fire. The worst kind in a playoff game.
Stützle was visibly in pain and visibly annoyed. He stayed in the game, which is the only silver lining available for Travis Green's bench. He did not look impressed walking back to the circle.
This is the Senators' most important forward. The 24-year-old German racked up 34 goals and 83 points with a plus-7 rating across 80 regular-season games. Ottawa's offense runs through him.
Spence, the 25-year-old Australian blue-liner, hasn't had a playoff to remember. He's pointless through two games with a minus-1 rating, and now this.
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Travis Green's Senators can't afford these kinds of self-inflicted moments
The Senators are not in a position to be careless.
They entered Thursday night down 0-2 in the series against Carolina, chasing the kind of home-ice spark that doesn't survive own-goal sequences.
Stützle has been oddly quiet in this series. No goals, no assists, minus-1, and now a puck to the body from his own defender. The stars did not align this week in Ottawa.
Carolina has shut him down with structure and speed. That's what Rod Brind'Amour's group does to everybody. They force stars to earn every inch.
Spence's intent doesn't really matter here. Shooting after a whistle is a bad habit at the best of times, and in the playoffs, it borders on inexcusable.
Is a puck in the ribs a moment that actually changes a series? No. But it's the kind of thing that lingers in a dressing room, especially when the team is already trailing.
Spence has been one of his cleaner defenders all season with 31 points and a plus-15 rating on the year.
But there will be a quiet word. There always is when a defender puts the franchise's offensive star on the ice after a whistle. Ottawa has bigger problems to solve, and this isn't helping.
We all know he didn’t do it on purpose, but it was still an embarrassing and dangerous moment.
Should Jordan Spence face discipline from the Senators coaching staff for hitting Tim Stützle?
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