Stutzle, Batherson lead Senators past Red Wings, 4-1

DETROIT --
Tim Stutzle
had two goals and an assist to help the Ottawa Senators defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.

Austin Watson had a goal and an assist, and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves for the Senators (27-40-6), who had lost three in a row.
"I grew up here, and my favorite players were guys like Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan and [Nicklas] Lidstrom," said Watson, who was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "They inspired me to want to play in this league, so it is really cool to come back here and be able to score."
It was Ottawa's third win against Detroit in 12 days.
"Everyone knows both of these teams are a long way from a finished product, but you can also see how much young talent was on the ice tonight," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "I think, in a few years, you could easily see these two franchises having the same kind of battles that the [Tampa Bay] Lightning and [Florida] Panthers are having now."

OTT@DET: Watson opens scoring, beats 1st-period clock

Tyler Bertuzzi scored, and Thomas Greiss made 28 saves for the Red Wings (28-35-10), who have lost two straight and eight of 10.
"I thought we had a lot of good chances, but we either missed the net, didn't shoot or the goalie made the save," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "I don't think we were good enough in our own end in the first period, and I thought they ground us down in the third period."
Each team has been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
Watson gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead with five seconds left in the first when he took a pass from Josh Norris and scored from the high slot.
"That's just huge for us," Smith said. "You get such a boost coming into the room after getting a goal right at the end of the period. It's horrible to give one up, but it is great to get one."
Bertuzzi tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 12:27 of the second period when he scored at the right side of the net on a rebound off the end boards.
Drake Batherson put the Senators in front 2-1 at 15:32 when he tipped Michael Del Zotto's point shot. Batherson had missed the past three games with an illness.
"That's about as sick as I've ever been. I think I lost ten pounds in a week," he said. "I'm still fighting it a little, but once you get out there and the adrenaline starts pumping, you don't think about it as much."

OTT@DET: Batherson redirects Del Zotto wrist shot in

Stutzle scored into an empty net to make it 3-1 with 1:05 left in the third period, then scored again into an empty net with 14 seconds remaining for the 4-1 final. Watson set up Stutzle's second goal with a blocked shot.
"When you are a bottom-six guy, getting the chance to be out there protecting a lead is what you are fighting for," Watson said. "If you can help win a game by blocking a shot and getting an assist, you've done your job."
The Red Wings were held to seven shots on goal in each of the second and third periods after having 11 in the first.
"We're just not creating anything off the rush, and then when we get into their zone, it is a lot of one-and-done," Detroit defenseman Marc Staal said. "We have to find a way to generate some continuous offense."
NOTES:The Senators finished 3-0-0 against the Red Wings this season, the first time they've swept them in a season series of three or more games. … Ottawa defenseman Artem Zeb was scratched with an illness not related to COVID-19. … Moritz Seider's assist on Bertuzzi's goal was his 41st of the season, tying Reed Larson (1977-78) for the second most by a Red Wings rookie defenseman. Lidstrom had 49 in 1991-92.