Sanderson ties game in 3rd period, Senators edge Flames in shootout

OTTAWA -- Jake Sanderson scored the game-tying goal with 2:49 remaining in regulation and the Ottawa Senators came back to win 4-3 in a shootout against the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Ottawa tied it twice in the third period, the latter tally coming when Sanderson’s shot from the top of the left face-off circle ricocheted off multiple Flames skaters in front, off the cross bar and into the back of the net.

“I think it just shows the maturity and growth of our group,” Sanderson said. “I think in the past we might’ve folded, got down on ourselves, but there’s been multiple times this year where we’ve stuck with it and been patient.”

Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle, who each had an assist to extend their respective point streaks to four games, each scored in the shootout.

“It was a mucky game,” Batherson said. “We knew those guys were hungry for a win and it was going to be a grind. And that was our mindset, we stuck to it. Frustrating at times, but at the end of the day we won."

Lars Eller had a goal and an assist, Artem Zub also scored, and Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Senators (6-5-1), who are 4-1-1 in their past six games.

“That was a grinding, grinding game. It was a grinder,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “Two teams that weren’t giving a lot up; they did a great job of clogging the neutral zone. We came back three times. It’s a nice two points.”

Nazem Kadri, Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato each scored, and Devin Cooley made 35 saves for the Flames (2-8-2), who have one win in their past 11 games (1-8-2).

“I think he was excellent tonight,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said of Cooley. “He made some key saves at important times of the game for us. And I think [goalie coach] Jason [LaBarbera] has done a really good job with him. It’s not always the easiest thing when you’re not playing quite as much as he’d probably like to as a backup goaltender, but that’s the job. And you have to make sure you stay ready.”

Cooley made seven saves in overtime, including three on a 4-on-3 penalty kill.

“For me, it was just playing and just understanding what side sticks they were and what options they had and then just trying to get my body in front of it,” Cooley said of his performance on the overtime kill. “Any time it’s a 4-on-3, it’s a little bit more difficult than a 5-on-3, and they usually have a lot more space to make plays and stuff. But again, our PK was excellent and I was able to see most of the shots that came.”

Sharangovich gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at 5:51 of the first period when he beat Ullmark over the glove with a wrist shot from the top of the right face-off circle on a power play.

Eller scored on a Shane Pinto rebound on a short-handed 2-on-1 to tie it 1-1 at 7:37. The short-handed goal marks the first of the season for Ottawa.

Coronato scored on a loose puck at the edge of the crease on a power play to make it 2-1 at 15:53.

Zub’s point shot beat a heavily screened Cooley to tie it 2-2 at 2:36 of the third period.

“We are that good that we can play a patient game,” Ullmark said, “and just waiting to attack when we go and get them and try to make them make the mistakes. When we do [that], we play a really solid game from all the way up to 200 feet. With the elite skill that some of the guys on our team have as well, we had a lot of opportunities to go out there and score, and I think their goalie played a good game as well and kept them in it at certain times.”

Kadri gave Calgary a 3-2 lead at 8:16. He performed a give-and-go with Jonathan Huberdeau on the rush and then put a snap shot off the right post and in.

“You earn your breaks along the way,” Huska said. “That’s the way I look at it. You’ve just got to make sure you soldier on, if that’s the proper term to use. But I don’t think you look at it as a bad break because you’re in a situation because of something that we did prior, so everything usually evens itself out.”

NOTES: Kadri has 16 career goals against the Senators, the most he has against any opponent. … Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar had a game-high five giveaways. … Eller scored a short-handed goal for his fifth different franchise; only seven players in NHL history have scored a short-handed goal with more. … Sanderson had a game-high eight shots.