Anderson gets emotional win in net for Senators

Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson made 37 saves, including 18 in the third period, in a 2-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Sunday, being that it was his first game back since taking a leave of absence Thursday to be with his wife, Nicholle, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Anderson rejoined the Senators on Saturday for the last game of a three-game Western Canada road trip after goaltender Andrew Hammond sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-2 loss at the Calgary Flames on Friday.

"I think you couldn't really feel it, the gravity that it was, until the final whistle when the game was over," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. "We accomplished a great game led by [Anderson]. He came here [Saturday] and we all knew about it, and obviously, he held a strong face, but you could still see the pain in his eyes. He came in and really led by example, he didn't say much, he did the same thing, the same routine and he showed what a true leader was."

Anderson did not speak with the media after the game.

The shutout was Anderson's second of the season and 35th of his career. He made 22 saves in a 3-0 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Anderson has five shutouts in 17 games against the Oilers. He has not allowed a goal in 121 minutes and 57 seconds.

Mike Hoffman scored at 12:18 of the second period for his first goal of the season for Ottawa (5-3-0). Bobby Ryan sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 32.2 seconds remaining.

Cam Talbot made 20 saves for Edmonton (7-2-0), which saw its five-game win streak end.


"It's a pretty emotional night with everything that's been going on with this group," Hoffman said. "Coming in here and facing one of the best teams in the League at the moment was a big task for us. Everyone in here was ready to take them on and we played a solid game, and obviously, [Anderson] coming back and helping this team out is a pretty cool story.