Chabot scores three points in return, sparks Senators past Wild

OTTAWA --Thomas Chabot had two goals and an assist in his return from injury, helping the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.

Chabot made it 4-3 with 5:45 left in the third period when his wrist shot from the left point changed direction after going off the stick of Wild defenseman Calen Addison.
"He changes the complexion of our team, obviously," Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said of Chabot. "We know how much he plays and how much he's out there, but yeah, he's a difference-maker. … He took over tonight's game and won it for us."
Chabot missed four games with an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Feb. 13 and was playing his 300th NHL game.
"I think it's a bit of a lucky break there," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said of the go-ahead goal. "[Chabot's] winner went off a stick, but in saying that, you realize how good a guy is when you haven't seen him in a little bit, and he comes back and does all the things he does tonight."
Connor Brown had two assists, and Anton Forsberg made 40 saves for the Senators (19-26-5), who had lost two in a row and five of seven.

Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and Cam Talbot made 30 saves for the Wild (31-14-3), who have lost three of four.
"It's more frustrating how we started," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "I mean, full credit to Ottawa. They played hard and right and heavy and smart and aggressive, real aggressive. They took the game away from us early, and we couldn't catch up until the second period. … That team just continued to play the same way. We started wrong. They started right."
Chabot gave the Senators a 1-0 lead 2:09 into the first period with a snap shot that went under Talbot's right arm.
"It definitely gets you into the game right away when you score, and I think it was my second shift," Chabot said. "I skated a lot during the week, but there's nothing like actually playing a game."
Tkachuk made it 2-0 on the power play at 17:05 when he gathered the rebound of Chabot's shot off the boards and scored from a sharp angle at the right side of the net.
"That was some of the best hockey we've played in the first period," Tkachuk said. "We played heavy, we played aggressive, you know, getting on them. That's the type of game we want to play. Of course, we expected a pushback there in the second period from them. It was a fun game, an entertaining game, and we're just happy with the outcome."

Fiala cut it to 2-1 at 6:31 of the second period with a curl-and-drag wrist shot from the slot. He has scored 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in his past 19 games.
"I felt good," said Fiala, who had a game-high eight shots. "I thought I had Grade A chances from the start there."
Jared Spurgeon tied it 2-2 at 12:40 when he took a drop pass from Ryan Hartman and scored with a wrist shot.
Tim Stutzle gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead at 16:22 after a deflected puck came to him in the right circle. It was his fourth goal in his past five games.
Jon Merrill tied it 3-3 at 4:32 of the third with a wrist shot from the left face-off dot. It was his first goal in 17 games.
"I think we were a little frustrated with how we started the game," Merrill said. "And that kind of led to us chasing the game. I thought we played pretty good in the second and third, but it's a tough league. Anyone can beat anyone any night."
NOTES: Wild forward Mats Zuccarello (upper body) was scratched. The injury is not serious and he should play at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, Evason said. Nico Sturm replaced Zuccarello and had two shots on goal in 6:30. … Spurgeon's goal gave him 20 points for a ninth consecutive season. … Chabot has scored 177 points (40 goals, 137 assists) in his NHL career.