OTTAWA — Shane Pinto, Ridley Greig, and Michael Amadio have been a key line for Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green.
The trio have been an effective shutdown line for the Senators (40-29-6), with Green often challenging them to shut down the opposition’s top line. Thursday night, the trio rose to the challenge of shutting down league-leading scorer Nikita Kucherov in a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kucherov, who played a team-high 25:09, was kept off the scoresheet.
“They’ve kind of been our go-to line all year when it comes to matchups,” said Green. “And I think they take pride in it. They’re all capable of it. They all bring different elements to their game and I thought they were outstanding."
With Brady Tkachuk sidelined with an upper-body injury and the Senators in the thick of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference, the Senators need others to step up. Ottawa holds the first wild-card spot but is being chased by a number of teams.
The Senators currently have a five-point edge over the Montreal Canadiens, who hold the second wild-card spot.
“It’s a fun challenge,” said Greig of going up against players like Kucherov. “You know, whenever a good player like that comes in, it’s certainly a lot of fun. Makes the game a lot more enjoyable trying to shut those guys down.”
Pinto shared a similar sentiment.
“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s pretty fun going into the night knowing you have to try to shut down those guys. It’s obviously super fun.”
Pinto and Greig blocked three shots apiece, while Amadio had two.
Linus Ullmark, who had 31 saves in Thursday's win, has been instrumental to the Senators success this season, but he enjoys knowing he can count on his teammates for support.
“It’s what you need,” said Ullmark. “You need to put your body on the line. You know, it’s tight because there’s a lot of bodies in front. It’s tough for me sometimes to get a clear vision of it and especially when the puck is moving side-to-side and you have threats on the left and you have threats on the right.
"So it’s important, not just against (Tampa Bay), but against everybody that we play that when we’re in a position like this that we take an extra breath and then we put ourselves in a good position to block them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
