Meriläinen, Senators shut out Penguins

It was a team effort from top to bottom as the Ottawa Senators shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 for the franchise’s 1,100 win. Leevi Meriläinen earned his first career shutout for the Senators. Tyler Kleven, Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle all scored as well as Shane Pinto, who struck twice. Claude Giroux also had a strong showing, tallying three assists.

Opening the scoring for the Senators was Tyler Kleven with his second goal of the season just 3:16 in. Taking a bounce off of a Pittsburgh defenceman, the puck found its way to the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead. The Penguins instantly challenged for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood and the goal counted. Forwards Claude Giroux and Adam Gaudette both picked up assists, and the Senators headed to the power play for an unsuccessful challenge from Pittsburgh.

With just two seconds remaining in the power play, Shane Pinto buried a one timer past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic at 5:14 in. Claude Giroux picked up his second assist of the game on Pinto’s seventh goal of the season, while Thomas Chabot picked up his first.

Scoring shorthanded on a two-on-one opportunity was Shane Pinto with his second of the game. Coming with just 55 seconds remaining in the first period, Pinto’s goal extended the Senators’ lead to 3-0. Ridly Greig was credited with the lone assist on the goal.

It was a chippy opening period with action after almost every whistle. The Senators succeeded in killing off four Pittsburgh power plays to help them head into the first intermission up by three. Alongside their lead, the Senators would be starting the second period on a power play as Sidney Crosby took a slashing penalty in the dying seconds of play.

A busy scramble in front of the Penguins net saw the Senators go up 4-0 just 41 seconds into the period on the power play. It was Drake Batherson with his 14th goal of the season assisted by Josh Norris and Jake Sanderson.

When all the Penguins thought the puck was frozen, Tim Stützle saw what they didn’t. Springing out from behind the net, he grabbed the loose puck and buried it to give the Senators a 5-0 lead at 7:06. Assisting the goal were Claude Giroux, his third of the game, and Nick Jensen.

The Senators’ fifth goal on 15 shots, that was it for Alex Nedeljkovic as Tristan Jarry entered the game in his place.

The second half of the period remained scoreless, though the intensity did not wane. Heading into the third period, the Senators held a 5-0 lead.

Things calmed down in the third period as Leevi Meriläinen stood tall in net to stop all 30 shots he faced. The shutout marked the first of his NHL career and the sixth this season for the Senators — a league-best.

Up next will be the Dallas Stars when they come to Canadian Tire Centre tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. ET. The Senators will be looking for redemption in their second meeting this season and will carry momentum from tonight’s win with them. Limited tickets to tomorrow’s game remain HERE.

Postgame availabilities:

For continued Ottawa Senators coverage, follow the Ottawa Senators' socials and on the web.

Keep up to date with Sens360: https://www.nhl.com/senators/sens360/content/

Follow the Senators on Instagram: senators

Engage with the Senators on X: @Senators

Like the Senators on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ottawasenators