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Top 5 Senators Moments From the First Half of 2022-23

Cam Talbot Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are officially halfway through their season. Things haven’t gone exactly as planned, but I must say, the number of memorable moments that we have seen so far is making for a very entertaining season. After 41 games, the Senators’ record was 19-19-3. Though there have been some of the lowest lows throughout the campaign, we are going to be looking at the highest highs through the Senators’ first 41 games.

There are certainly some moments that missed this list, and it was tough to narrow it down to five. Using some feedback from Facebook and Twitter, these seem to be quite high up on Senators fans lists too.

5. Talbot’s Flurry Of Saves

After being acquired in the offseason, Cam Talbot suffered an injury in training camp, missing the first 10 games of the season. Even so, he has been a great addition to the crease for Ottawa. Through 41 games, he has a record of 10-11-1 in 22 games, with a .906 save percentage (SV%). However, these numbers are not indicative of how important his impact has been. The best example came against the NHL’s best team, the Boston Bruins.

Cam Talbot, Ottawa Senators (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

On Dec. 27, the Senators beat the Bruins 3-2 in the shootout, and there is nobody to thank more for the victory than Talbot. Making 49 saves on 51 shots is impressive enough by itself, but how he did it was phenomenal. In the third period alone, he made a game’s worth of saves with 26 – which was a franchise record. What gets even more impressive, was his flurry of stops in the dying minutes of the game while protecting the lead.

With the game on the line, Talbot made 13 saves in a span of less than three minutes. The Bruins had some great pressure on the Senators, Talbot stood on his head, and then Travis Hamonic took a hooking penalty, giving the Bruins a power play opportunity. The Bruins kept that pressure on, and after an incredible series of elite saves, Pavel Zacha tied the game with one of the weakest shots of the period. Regardless, the Senators won the game, and Talbot was clearly the first star and gave fans a period to remember for a long time.

4. Claude Giroux’s “Half-Clapper”

One of the Senators’ biggest moves in the offseason was bringing Claude Giroux to Ottawa on a three-year contract. The veteran leader has proven to still be very productive and is making his $6.5 million cap hit look like a steal early on. The whole series of events leading up to the season, including the hashtag…

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