Senators Grab Crucial Two Points in Win Over Bruins

It was an electric game with intensity that matched the atmosphere at Canadian Tire Centre as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Boston Bruins 6-5 in the shootout. Josh Norris scored twice, including the game-tying goal in the dying seconds of the third, while Adam Gaudette, Tim Stützle, and Nick Jensen all recorded goals of their own. Tim Stützle scored the lone goal of the shootout, while Leevi Meriläinen turned away all three shots he faced.

Just 1:47 into the game, forward Adam Gaudette gave the Senators a 1-0 lead with his 15th goal of the season. The goal came following sustained pressure in Boston’s zone by the Senators and was assisted by Nick Jensen and Claude Giroux.

Doubling the Senators’ lead to 2-0 was forward Tim Stützle with his 15th goal of the season off a strong individual effort. Corralling a loose puck, Stützle picked up his own deflected shot to tuck it past goalie Jeremy Swayman and into the back of the net. The goal came unassisted.

A two-on-one the other way for the Bruins nearly got them back within one, but Leevi Meriläinen had other plans as he dove across the crease to make a highlight-reel save and keep Boston off the board.

A power play opportunity for the Bruins saw them score at 11:06 into the period. It was Pavel Zacha with his 11th goal of the season that cut the Senators’ lead to 2-1.

With just 37 seconds remaining in the first period, the Bruins tied the game 2-2 off David Pastrnak’s 21st goal of the season.

Neither team scored again in the dying seconds of the period as they headed into the first intermission tied at two.

Just over a minute into the second period, the Bruins took their first lead of the game when Morgan Geekie scored his 11th goal of the season.

As things started heating up, the Senators took advantage of a penalty against the Bruins to score just seconds into the power play. It was forward Josh Norris with his 16th goal of the season that tied the game at 3-3, with assists going to Jake Sanderson and Tim Stützle.

At 14:36 into the second, the Bruins regained the lead at 4-3 when John Beecher scored his third goal of the season.

The rest of the second period remained scoreless and the Senators headed into the second intermission trailing by one.

With 8:37 remaining in the third period, the Bruins doubled their lead to 5-3 when Vinni Lettieri scored his first goal of the season.

Cutting the Bruins’ lead to one and keeping the Senators in the game was defenceman Nick Jensen, who scored for his third goal of the year and second point of the game to make things 5-4. The goal came at 16:47 into the third period and was assisted by Shane Pinto and Drake Batherson. Jensen's goal came on the man advantage, as the Senators had pulled the goaltender for the extra attacker.

With the net empty, the Senators put the pressure on their Bruins as they fought to tie the game. With 12 seconds remaining, the effort paid off as forward Josh Norris tied the game 5-5 with the team's second empty net goal of the game. It was a complete team effort, as moments earlier Jake Sanderson made a pair of game-saving shot blocks to prevent the Bruins from getting an empty net goal. Norris’ goal, his 17th of the season and second of the game, was assisted by Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot.

Thanks to Norris’ goal, the game headed to overtime just like the last time the Senators and Bruins faced off.

Overtime didn’t solve anything as both teams traded chances but neither found the back of the net. With no winner decided, the game headed to the shootout.

Shootout:

Tim Stützle - Goal

Charlie Coyle – No goal

Drake Batherson – No goal

David Pastrnak – No goal

Claude Giroux – No goal

Pavel Zacha – No goal

Tim Stützle’s shootout goal was the lone one as Leevi Meriläinen stood tall once more and stopped all three shots he faced. An electric game from start to finish, the Senators came away with a hard fought win that earned them two crucial points in their hunt for the playoffs.

The Senators will return to the ice tomorrow in New Jersey when they take on the New Jersey Devils at 1:00 p.m. ET. Tomorrow’s game will mark the second of three meetings between the two teams as the Senators look for their second win in a row.

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