Karlsson scores in OT to end Senators' skid at 6 games

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- Erik Karlsson scored in overtime in his 600th NHL game, and still the Ottawa Senators had to contend with bad news at the end of Thursday night.

Karlsson scored 32 seconds into overtime to lift Ottawa over the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 and snap a six-game skid, but the Senators may be without Bobby Ryan for a stretch after he re-aggravated a hand injury.

Ryan scored early in the third period for Ottawa but left the game shortly after as he once again took a puck to the hand, re-aggravating an ongoing injury to his fingers.

"It's not broken, it's the same thing and it flares up again," Senators coach Guy Boucher said. "That might be a reflection of what's happened all year is that we get something positive and then we have to live with something that's not necessarily what we want."

Karlsson one-timed a pass from Matt Duchene on a power play, beating Ryan Miller with a shot inside the near post.

"I'm very fortunate to play as many games as I have and I'm very lucky in that aspect and hopefully I have 600 more," Karlsson said. "First and foremost the win was the best thing. That's what we were after and it's nice to see that we got it."

Mike Condon stopped 30 shots in his best game this season.

Ryan Kesler tied it with 54 seconds left in regulation after Anaheim pulled Miller for an extra attacker. Miller made 30 saves, but Anaheim ended a three-game winning streak.

The Ducks are vying a wild card spot in the competitive Western Conference and can't afford to lose any ground, making the overtime point that much more important.

"It was a weird game," Kesler said. "It was tough to get some calls there and not get calls on the other side to flip things. We're going to learn from our mistakes, but it was key we got a point and every point is huge right now. Our conference is so tight so we've got to fight for points on this road trip."

Each team already had a player in the penalty box when Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg took a tripping penalty early in the third period. Ottawa scored on the 4-on-3 when Ryan tipped Mike Hoffman's shot.

Miller was pulled with just over two minutes left in regulation time. Condon made a spectacular save on Kesler, but the forward got a second chance shortly after that and redirected shot by Rickard Rackell.

NOTES: Ottawa C Colin White and D Fredrik Claesson were healthy scratches. D Johnny Oduya (lower body) returned to the lineup after missing the last four games, while Nate Thompson also made his return from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the last five games. ... Magnus Paajarvi, acquired off waivers, made his home debut for the Senators.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Plat at Montreal on Saturday.

Senators: Play at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Aho, Hurricanes beat Senators 2-1

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Sebastian Aho was itching to get back on the ice after missing two weeks with a concussion and a knee injury.

He celebrated with a big goal for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Aho and Victor Rask scored in the third period, helping the Hurricanes top the slumping Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Tuesday night.

"I was very excited. I've been waiting for this since I got hurt," Aho said. "It felt really good to get that goal."

Cam Ward made 29 saves for Carolina in the opener of a season-long eight-game homestand. The Hurricanes returned from the All-Star break with their second straight win after dropping six of eight.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored and Craig Anderson made 37 saves for the Senators, who have lost six in a row. Ottawa hit three posts, including two in the first period.

"I really think we deserved to get out of this with at least one point," coach Guy Boucher said. "I really thought after two periods we had a chance to win this one."

Pageau put Ottawa in front with his seventh goal in the second, but Carolina responded with a big rally in the final period.

Aho took a drop pass from Teuvo Teravainen at the blue line and fired a slap shot that deflected off the stick of Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot and past Anderson. Aho, who leads Carolina with 17 goals, had missed four straight games after a collision with Calgary's Marc Giordano on Jan. 14.

"It was awesome to see him out there," Ward said. "I was really impressed with the way that he played and the way he handled himself when he was injured too. I assumed he was going to be out longer, and here we are. He wanted to play. He wants to be an impact player and we need him out there. Obviously as a team we were excited that he's back."

New Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon opened the lower seating bowl at PNC Arena to all ticket holders in an effort to create a better home atmosphere, and the Hurricanes reaped the benefits down the stretch.

After Aho's goal energized the crowd, the Hurricanes maintained their momentum and Rask fired a power-play wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past Anderson on the goaltender's stick side at 11:32.

Ward finished it off, making two stops in the final seconds to secure the victory.

NOTES: Aho had no apparent issues in his return, playing 19:03. ... Ottawa D Erik Karlsson reached 300 career penalty minutes when he was called for hooking in the first period. ... The Senators scratched D Erik Burgdoerfer and C Filip Chlapik. ... The Hurricanes scratched D Klas Dahlbeck, F Josh Jooris and F Phillip Di Giuseppe.

UP NEXT

Senators: Return home to host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Hurricanes: Continue their homestand against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Bruins keep rolling, beat Senators for fifth straight win

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Jake DeBrusk wasn't even trying to score and ended up with the winner.

DeBrusk beat Mike Condon with 8:41 left to lift the Boston Bruins over the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win.

"I was aiming for a rebound and got some puck luck there," said DeBrusk, who scored his 11th of the season. "I think (Condon would) like to have that one back."

Danton Heinen and Tim Schaller also scored to help the Bruins get a point in their 18th straight game (14-0-4), their second longest point streak ever. Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots.

Thomas Chabot and Ryan Dzingel scored for Ottawa, but the Senators are mired in a five-game skid.

Condon had 41 saves. The backup can't seem to catch a break this season, allowing a bad goal in nearly every home game he's played. The Senators (15-23-9) are on a five-game losing streak.

"You let in a bad goal when you're playing bad, you're still going to think it's a bad goal, so if you're playing well and you let in a bad goal, it doesn't really matter," Condon said. "A bad goal is a bad goal. They don't feel very good. I don't know what else to say about that."

Condon was the only reason the Senators were even in it as the Bruins outshot the Ottawa 20-7 in the first period.

"He was standing on his head," Dzingel said. "I think they had 21 shots in the first period and we wanted to hold them to 25 for the whole game so when a guy like that's playing for you, you want to do anything you can for him."

Boston was without leading scorer Brad Marchand, who began his five-game suspension for an elbow against New Jersey forward Marcus Johansson on Tuesday.

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead on a short-handed goal when Patrice Bergeron won a race to the puck and fed Schaller for a breakaway. The lead was short lived, as the Senators scored 20 seconds later after Dzingel and Matt Duchene executed a give-and-go.

The Bruins regained the lead when DeBrusk fired a bad-angle shot that Condon got a stick on, but the puck fluttered over and behind him.

With the Bruins on the power play, Zack Smith had the opportunity to clear the puck, but instead had his shot intercepted by Bergeron, who then found David Pastrnak. Pastrnak had a fluttering shot go up in the air and Heinen, with his first in nine games, was able to get a piece of it and beat Condon through the legs to tie it at 1.

Despite being outshot badly, the Senators managed to get out of the first period with a 1-0 lead. Chabot got his fourth of the season by firing a shot that hit Adam McQuaid's skate blade and went past Rask.

NOTES: During the first period, the Senators recognized Chris Neil, who retired last month, for his contributions to the organization. Mark Stone missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, as did D Johnny Oduya (undisclosed). Boston C Noel Acciari missed the game due to a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Anaheim on Tuesday night.

Senators: Play at Carolina on Tuesday night.

–––

More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Blues score 3 times in second period, top Senators 4-1

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- Alex Pietrangelo celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring his first goal in more than two months. And, it ended up being a winner for the St. Louis Blues.

Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn each scored in the second period of the 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Alexander Steen scored into an empty net at 18:42 to close out the scoring for St. Louis (28-17-3), while Carter Hutton made 20 saves.

The win was the second straight in Ontario for the Blues, who were 2-1 overtime winners over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

"One, it's on your birthday, but two, it's finally nice to get back on the board about 4,000 shots later," said Pietrangelo, whose last goal came on Nov. 11 against Arizona. "I think we felt it coming, someone on the back end was going to score. Five-on-five, we've really been jumping in the last two games here. It was just a matter of time before one of us got one."

Bobby Ryan had the lone goal for the Senators (15-19-9), and Craig Anderson made 33 saves. Ottawa was coming off its bye week and hadn't played in eight days.

The first period produced no goals and only one good scoring chance, when Hutton stopped Zack Smith on a breakaway after the Senators forward stole the puck at his own blue line and broke toward the St. Louis goal.

The second period was not a good one for the Senators as they were outshot 19-6 and, more importantly, outscored 3-1.

Tarasenko struck 6:13 into the period with a tip in front while spinning away from Robert Bortuzzo's point shot in front of Anderson.

The Blues took a 2-0 lead at 12:51 thanks to Anderson who, after making a save, batted the puck out of midair directly to Pietrangelo who had an empty net to shoot at from the left faceoff circle.

Anderson could also be blamed for the Blues taking a 3-0 lead at 16:53 as he misplayed a backhand from Schenn and allowed the puck to pass through his legs.

"The second period, it's a disease," Senators coach Guy Boucher said. "We stop shooting, we get perimeter play, we get east-west play, complicated plays and you get the second period we had. It's a disease we have to get rid of. We had the same disease last year to start the year and we got rid of it over time. It creeps back in.

"When we're at our best, that's not who we are, and we lose games because of the second period. We've got to get rid of that disease."

The Senators got one of those back at 17:21 when Ryan's shot from 10 feet inside the blue line redirected off the stick of Dmitrik Jaskin and over the shoulder of Hutton to cut the lead to 3-1.

"We got the first period we wanted," Boucher said. "They were ready to go, they played hard and didn't give much to the opponent. In the first period, we followed the plan. We played deep on them, we played 200 feet away from our goaltender and we shot.

"The first period was exactly what we wanted coming out of the break ... and then, the second period."

FIGHTING AND BITING

The Senators got defenseman Mark Borowiecki back into the lineup after he missed 22 games with a concussion. He delivered a big hit early, got into a fight and got his finger bitten by Kyle Brodziak during a scrum late in the second period.

"He did, but it's not a big deal. We were laughing about it afterward," Borowiecki said of the bite.

NOTES: Ottawa forward Nate Thompson left the game and did not return with an undisclosed lower-body injury. ... Fredrik Claesson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau were scratches for the Senators. ... Carl Gunnarsson, Scottie Upshall and Oskar Sundqvist were scratches for the Blues. ... The Senators haven't beaten the Blues in Ottawa since December 2013. ... The Blues have earned points in their last 11 games against Ottawa.

UP NEXT

Blues: host Arizona on Saturday night.

Senators: host Toronto on Saturday night.

Tom Pyatt breaks late tie, Senators beat Maple Leafs 4-3

Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) -- Ottawa coach Guy Boucher didn't think twice about going back to Craig Anderson in goal against Toronto.

A night after being yanked in a blowout home loss to Chicago, Anderson rebounded to make 44 saves and the Senators beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before their bye weeks.

"I knew right away, for me when you look at it, he only played 30 minutes (against Chicago), it gives me the chance to play him the next day," Boucher said. "I was very confident he would come in and have a rebound game and that's exactly what he did."

Anderson allowed four goals on 26 shots in the 8-2 loss to the Blackhawks.

"You have to put it behind you as quickly as possible," Anderson said. "You have to leave that in the past and move on."

Tom Pyatt broke a tie with 3:05 left. He took a feed from Matt Duchene on a 3-on-1 - after Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly got caught pinching at Ottawa's blue line - and beat Frederik Andersen high to the blocker side.

"Just some miscommunication between the forward and I," Rielly said. "It's my fault for going."

Thomas Chabot, Mike Hoffman and Gabriel Dumont also scored for the Senators.

Andreas Borgman, James van Riemsdyk and Rielly scored for Toronto.

"We had lots of opportunities but we got impatient," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "We had two pinches with no (forward back) that cost us two goals. In the end you have to play right. "Give Anderson credit. He was pulled last night and a proud guy came back tonight and played real well."

Chabot opened the scoring when he attempted a cross-crease pass only for the puck to bounce in off Roman Polak's foot idway through the first.

Hoffman got inside position on van Riemsdyk in front of the Leafs' net and finished off a pass from Duchene with an easy tap-in to make it 2-0 just 1:52 into the second period.

Toronto couldn't solve Anderson through 36 minutes despite having the first three power plays of the game and 28 shots against the Ottawa netminder up to that point - including eight alone from van Riemsdyk.

Finally, after killing off Ottawa's first power-play chance of the game, Borgman got one past Anderson from the point with 1:50 to play in the second. Van Riemsdyk didn't make a mistake with his ninth shot of the night, taking a pass from Tyler Bozak and going through his legs with the puck before beating the goalie from in close 56 seconds into the third period.

"I thought their goalie played extremely well and you've got to tip your cap to him for that," van Riemsdyk said. "He made a lot of point-blank saves."

Dumont put Ottawa back ahead 3-2 only 1:21 later, following up his initial shot off the end boards that bounced out front of the net for a second attempt. Rielly evened the score once again, beating a screened Anderson with a point shot at 12:28.

NOTES: Ottawa's Bobby Ryan missed the game with a hand injury suffered the night before against Chicago. There is no time table for his return. He was replaced by Filip Chlapik, who was recalled from Belleville of the AHL. ... Connor Carrick was in for Travis Dermott on Toronto's blue line.

UP NEXT

Senators: Host St. Louis on Jan 18.

Maple Leafs: Host St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Patrick Kane has goal, 4 assists as Blackhawks rout Sens 8-2

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks had all their firepower on full display Tuesday night.

Nick Schmaltz and Jonathan Toews each scored two goals and Kane had a goal and four assists as Chicago cruised to an 8-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Richard Panik, Patrick Sharp and Jan Rutta also scored for the Blackhawks, while Anton Forsberg made 25 saves. Kane had five points for the first time in his career.

"I think one of the things we really haven't really had the fortune of this year is to have a hot power play," Kane said. "You saw that tonight. We were kind of making easy plays. I don't think it was anything special throughout the game. Just making the right play out there and finishing off some plays."

Mark Stone and Derick Brassard scored for the Senators. Craig Anderson allowed four goals on 26 shots before giving way to Mike Condon, who also gave up four goals on 17 shots.

The loss snapped Ottawa's two-game winning streak and was the team's most lopsided loss of the season.

"I think we started the game the way that we wanted to and then in the second we kind of give them a little too much," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. "And then going in the third down 6-2 it's going to be hard, and especially when they're having a night on their PP (power play) and they score another two."

The Blackhawks scored five times in the second period to break open the game and finished 4 for 6 on the power play.

Ottawa has been outscored 61-34 in the second this season.

Toews scored his second of the game at 3:24 of the third period to extend the lead to 7-2 before Kane chipped in with his team-leading 18th on the power play.

Both Ottawa goaltenders have struggled all season, but veteran Dion Phaneuf said it's unfair to put the blame on them.

"I don't think in any circumstance that we need more saves. It's on us in front of our goaltenders to do a better job," Phaneuf said. "We made mistakes. We made mistakes in key areas and our goaltenders have been solid."

The second period was once again troubling as Anderson gave up three goals on four shots in a span of 4:39.

Sharp gave Chicago a 2-0 lead at the five-minute mark with a wrist shot from the top of the circle. Schmaltz made it 3-0 with his first power-play goal of the game, beating Anderson five-hole and, 1:38 later, the Blackhawks took a 4-0 lead as Toews scored on a rebound to end Anderson's night.

The Senators managed to cut the lead in half when Stone, with his third in as many games, beat Forsberg short side. Brassard then made it 4-2 by driving to the net and tipping Stone's shot in off his chest.

But two late power-play goals allowed Chicago to regain its four-goal advantage.

Schmaltz scored his second of the game, picking up Sharp's rebound to beat Condon high and Rutta made it 6-2 with a one-timer.

Combined, Anderson and Condon gave up five goals on nine shots in the second period. Bobby Ryan added to the misery by leaving the game favoring his hand and didn't return for the third.

The Senators looked good in the first period, but were still outshot 17-8 and gave up the first goal as Panik picked up the puck near the slot and threw it at the net to beat Anderson through traffic.

"We've talked about it, you guys have talked about it and we have to find a way in our room to have better second periods," Phaneuf said. "I really cannot be any more honest with you than admitting that we have to find a way to be better in the second, more consistent and play to our capabilities."

NOTES: D Mark Borowiecki (concussion), Johnny Oduya (lower body) and C Nate Thompson (lower body) did not play for the Senators. ... In a surprise move, veteran D Brent Seabrook was a healthy scratch for Chicago.

UP NEXT

Blackhawks: Host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night.

Senators: Head to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night before having a week off.

Athanasiou scores 6 seconds into OT, Detroit tops Ottawa 2-1

We knew @AndreasA86 was speedy... but the dude tied the fastest OT goal in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/2OjiEyuNmu

— NHL (@NHL) January 4, 2018

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

DETROIT (AP) – With record speed, the Detroit Red Wings finally won in overtime.

Andreas Athanasiou scored 6 seconds into the extra period to give Detroit a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. The goal tied an NHL record for fastest overtime goal in the regular season. The Red Wings improved to 1-6 in games decided in overtime, although they have won three shootouts.

"I think we're just playing good hockey right now, trying to make the most of what I get," Athanasiou said. "Anytime I get a chance I'm trying to make something happen. Anytime I can help the team out it's definitely a good feeling."

Detroit has won three in a row for the first time this season.

Athanasiou scored twice and also had a penalty shot stopped in the third period. Dylan Larkin took the opening faceoff in overtime and, after the puck went forward a bit, both Athanasiou and Ottawa standout Erik Karlsson reached for it.

Athanasiou was able to control it and skated in behind Karlsson on a breakaway. He beat goalie Craig Anderson with a backhander high to the glove side.

"The puck was bouncing a little bit and I kind of saw Karlsson's stick on the left side of me, so I figured I'd go to the backhand again and try to get it up over his pad and fortunately it worked out," Athanasiou said.

The most recent player to score 6 seconds into overtime in the regular season was Washington's Alex Ovechkin on Dec. 15, 2006, at Atlanta.

Ryan Dzingel scored for the Senators, who lost for the 18th time in 22 games.

The Red Wings opened the scoring in the first period after a clever play by Anthony Mantha. The Detroit forward was in front of the net when he shot the puck backward through his legs, forcing Anderson to make a save. Athanasiou put away the rebound to make it 1-0.

Athanasiou and Martin Frk had good chances to double Detroit's advantage in the middle of the second period, but they couldn't convert, and the Senators tied it just 39 seconds into the third. Darren Helm mishandled the puck in front of his own net, and Dzingel pounced on it and beat goalie Jimmy Howard.

The play was reviewed for possible goaltender interference, but the goal stood.

Athanasiou drew a penalty shot with 9:19 remaining in regulation, but Anderson calmly made the save . Detroit had a chance to win it late in the third, but Anderson turned aside two shots by Helm, and Danny DeKeyser hit the pipe with about 20 seconds to play.

"That was two good old American goalies having a great game tonight," Anderson said. "It was fun to play in a game like that."

NOTES: The goalies had 33 saves each. ... Mantha returned after missing two games with a lower-body injury. ... Detroit went on the power play in the second period, but Mike Green of the Red Wings was called for holding almost immediately after it started. Rather than try to score during the delayed penalty, Ottawa tried to keep the puck and waste as much time as possible before Detroit could force a whistle. The delayed penalty wasn't called until there were 7 seconds left in Detroit's power play. "Great job by them," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "That was unreal. It's got to go down as one of the worst two minutes of power play in the history of mankind."

UP NEXT

Senators: Host the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.

Red Wings: Host the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

Ryan Spooner, Tuukka Rask help Bruins beat Senators 5-0

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – The Boston Bruins pushed aside the reeling Ottawa Senators - again.

Ryan Spooner scored twice and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves in the Bruins' 5-0 victory over the Senators on Saturday night.

Noel Acciari, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, 5-1 winners over the Senators on Wednesday night in Boston. Rask had his second shutout of the season and 40th overall.

"We took over the game," Rask said. "Their chances came early and that's it. We scored more and we always played the same way and that's great to see. Going ahead that has to continue because that's going to reward us in the future."

Mike Condon stopped 29 shots for the Senators. Ottawa was shut out five times in December, going 4-8-2 in the month. The Senators have been outscored 14-6 in their past three games.

"It's stupidity and frustration," Senators forward Mark Stone said. "We put ourselves in terrible spots when you look at the goals that they're scoring. We're putting ourselves in terrible situations."

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the second, scoring three goals on 13 shots.

Sean Kuraly provided a screen for Acciari, who beat Condon off his backhand for a 2-0 advantage. Just over two minutes later, Ben Harpur, looking to shoot the puck in at the blue line, had his shot picked off by Spooner, who broke in alone and beat Condon through the legs.

Krejci, returning to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury, then picked up Charlie McAvoy's rebound and tucked it in at the side of the net on the power play. The Bruins took a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes of the third when Bergeron tipped Torey Krug' shot for their third power-play goal of the game.

The Bruins opened the scoring at 8:13 of the first on the man advantage. After a couple of solid saves by Condon, a rebound popped right out to Spooner.

NOTES: Ottawa D Fredrik Claesson served the second game of his two-game suspension. ... Boston LW Anders Bjork, C Frank Vatrano and D Paul Postma were healthy scratches.

UP NEXT

Bruins: At New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Senators: At Detroit on Wednesday night.

Point, Stamkos score in shootout as Lightning beat Senators

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- It took longer than the Lightning wanted, but the NHL's top team finally prevailed against a struggling Atlantic Division foe.

Tampa Bay never led against the Ottawa Senators until Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos scored the only shootout goals, lifting the Lightning to a 4-3 victory on Thursday night, their eighth win in nine games.

"We're a veteran team," Stamkos said. "We're seasoned, and we understand that the game is 60 minutes. It may take 65 and a couple of shootouts to win the game. There's just no panic in this group."

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped shots by Ottawa's Tom Pyatt and Matt Duchene in the shootout.

Tampa Bay threatened to win on a power play at the end of overtime, but Nikita Kucherov's shot past Craig Anderson was launched a split-second after the buzzer.

Ottawa broke out on top in unusual fashion. Bobby Ryan was credited with an unassisted goal 6:31 into the game after Dan Girardi's attempt to clear a rebound glanced off the shin of fellow Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn and past Vasilevskiy.

Twelve minutes into the second period, Tampa Bay pulled even on a delayed penalty with a deflected goal of its own. Kucherov blasted a shot from the top of the right circle that glanced off teammates Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn and through the legs of Anderson.

The Senators regained the lead on a backhander by Cody Ceci with 5:26 remaining in the second. Yanni Gourde tied it again just over a minute later.

Ottawa took its third lead six minutes into the third period on a power-play goal by Derick Brassard. Vladislav Namestnikov answered for Tampa Bay about five minutes later.

"Once we get the lead, we get a little passive, and that's something that we're going to have to work on," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. "We gave them a little too much room. We were up by a goal and we let them come back a little too easy. That's going to happen, unfortunately, against good teams like this."

Vasilevskiy needed to make only 18 saves in his league-leading 22nd victory. Anderson made 35 stops for Ottawa, which has lost all but three of its last 17 games.

"The second period we really tilted the ice," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Give Anderson credit. He was kicking everything out."

NOTES: Kucherov has scored multiple points in four consecutive games and a league-best 18 overall. ... D Victor Hedman has produced points in five consecutive games for Tampa Bay. ... Senators D Dion Phaneuf missed his first game this season for personal reasons. Other Ottawa scratches were D Andreas Englund, recalled earlier in the day from the AHL, and C Filip Chlapik. ... D Slater Koekkoek and Andrej Sustr were healthy scratches for the Lightning.

UP NEXT

Senators: Visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Lightning: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

Wild storn back to sink Senators

OTTAWA -- In a game that saw 10 goals scored, the turning point was a save. Make that two.

When Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock stopped Nate Thompson's second-period short-handed breakaway and then Tom Pyatt on the rebound, it prevented the Senators from re-establishing a two-goal lead.

It also allowed the Wild to continue their five-goal run on the way to a 6-4, come-from-behind victory on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.

"Stalock made a big save on that breakaway and that was as good as a goal," Wild defenseman Nate Prosser said. "There was no looking back from there. We tied it up and had our swagger and confidence going into the third and took it from there."

Prosser's first goal of the season at 1:48 of the third period gave the Wild their initial lead of the night, and one they did not relinquish.

Eric Staal led Minnesota with two goals and one assist for a three-point effort. Also scoring for the Wild (18-13-3) were Jonas Brodin, Chris Stewart and Mikko Koivu.

Erik Karlsson led the Senators (11-14-7) with two goals, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Derick Brassard had the others.

"I think we came out the way that we wanted," said Karlsson, whose team took a 3-1 into the second half of the game before Stewart started the Minnesota rally at 10:19 of the second period.

"Even in the second, I don't think we did a bad job, they just did a really good job there. Once we were up 3-1, they came back strong at us.

"They made us work really hard. We got a little fatigued and we didn't make the best decisions. We still went into the third period with a 3-3 game and felt good about ourselves.

"Unfortunately, they kept coming and we couldn't really find the solution to stop them early enough and create our own stuff."

While Craig Anderson had 34 stops for the Senators, Stalock finished with 28. Along with the short-handed saves in the second period, he also made a big stop against Bobby Ryan with the Wild leading 4-3.

"Thank God I got over there," Stalock said. "He probably wants that back. He fired it on the ice. If he gets it up 12 inches, it's in the net. It's another save that turns out to be a big one."

Staal said, "That's big in the NHL if you can get key saves at important times. It makes a huge difference. That game could have got away from us and Al made some huge stops to keep it tight and give us a chance to come back and we did."

The loss was a disheartening one for the Senators, who had designs on climbing back into the playoff hunt after two wins. In trying to build a three-game winning streak for the first time since early October, they turned in a sloppy defensive zone effort.

"Our discipline killed us and gave them momentum," Senators coach Guy Boucher said. "We came out, and we played hard, and we gave ourselves a lead late in the second period. It's definitely not an approach or attitude or work ethic, it became a discipline thing."

Boucher spun positive the fact the Senators managed two wins in a three-game homestand before visiting the Sunshine State for pre-Christmas games against Tampa on Thursday and Florida on Saturday. But this loss left a bitter taste in the mouth of his players.

"At the end of the day, we can't be giving up two-goal leads, especially at home," Ottawa's Mike Hoffman said. "Obviously, you can look at the game and say it might have been this, it might have been that, but at the end of the day we've got to do a better job of closing games out."

Meanwhile, the Wild are also headed to Florida for two before the break, visiting the Panthers on Thursday and Tampa on Friday.

"It's a big week for us," Staal said. "We get two opportunities down in Florida against two good teams and we've got our dads tagging along, so we get to enjoy two days with them and hopefully tag on two wins."

NOTES: Wild G Devan Dubnyk will join the team in Florida and be on the ice Thursday, coach Bruce Boudreau said. Dubnyk has missed four games after suffering a lower body injury Dec. 12 against Calgary. ... The Wild also scratched D Gustav Olofsson and RW Zack Mitchell. ... Senators F Gabriel Dumont skated in the morning but was given a seat to rest a sore foot. Senators C Nick Paul took his spot in the lineup. ... Senators D Ben Harpur was the other scratch.

Senators hope to put aside distractions vs. Wild

Stats, LLC

OTTAWA -- While avoiding conversations about their owner's public complaints over attendance, the Ottawa Senators are attempting to do what they can to bring fans back to Canadian Tire Centre.

And that, of course, is get themselves back into the playoff race.

After the fifth-worst November (3-7-1) in franchise history and a December that saw the Senators win just one of their first six games, they are starting to show signs of life.

By defeating the visiting Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, the Senators (11-13-7) will have their first three-game winning streak since the second week of the season.

What remains to be seen is how many will be on hand to witness the attempt after almost 34,000 paid inflated ticket prices to watch Saturday's 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL's first outdoor game of the season -- and after Senators owner Eugene Melnyk suggested he could relocate the team or dramatically cut the payroll if attendance doesn't improve.

"That's none of our business," team captain Erik Karlsson said Monday when asked about Melnyk's comments. "That's what he worries about. We worry about playing hockey. That's all we can control. That's what we get paid to do. We show up here every day and do the best we can at what we do."

Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy winner who has just one goal this season, did about everything anyone could ask in the victory over the Canadiens. Along with an assist on the game winner, he saw a season-high 32:55 of ice time, was a plus-3, had eight blocked shots and seven shots on goal.

It was a performance that suggested his future is not his focus even though he is lined up to become one of the league's highest paid players when his contract expires at the end of next season.

"I'm happy right now, happy where I'm at, worried about making sure we get out of this slump we're in right now and making the postseason this season," Karlsson said.

The Wild (17-13-3) will be playing its second of a four-game road trip that started with Saturday's 4-1 loss in Chicago.

With No. 1 goalie Devan Dubnyk sidelined indefinitely by a lower body injury, Minnesota is relying on Alex Stalock between the pipes. Stalock stopped a season-high 42 shots in Saturday's setback, and in five game since Dec. 10 has commendable numbers, with a 3-2-0 record that includes one shutout to go along with a 2.10 goals against average and a .935 save percentage.

"He was awesome again tonight," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau told reports after the Chicago game. "The guy competes his (butt) off. You hopefully can get better results. This week, it's not all doom and gloom. We were 2-2. We didn't lose the week. We've got a chance to win two out of three before Christmas, or three out of three, depending on what goes on. And then we'll be back at it."

With just seven goals in its last four games, Minnesota needs to get going offensively.

Defenseman Matt Dumba has been carrying much of the load, scoring the lone goal Saturday to give him three in the last two games and five in the last eight.

"He's probably the only one with offensive confidence right now," Boudreau said. "What he's doing is he's starting to shoot the puck. He's got a great shot. If he shoots the puck a lot he's going to get a lot more of those."

Senators coach Guy Boucher confirmed that Craig Anderson will get the chance to win his third straight on Tuesday, while winger Gabriel Dumont will sit with a foot injury. The team has recalled defenseman Ben Harpur from its AHL affiliate.

Senators hold off Rangers, snap five-game slide

OTTAWA -- Craig Anderson ended a personal drought that covered seven games and one month, but the Ottawa Senators goalie was more interested in talking about his team than himself.

The Senators' second win in 14 games put everyone on the Ottawa side in a better mood. Ottawa snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre.

"Coming home, putting on the effort we did and getting the results we wanted, it's a good feeling in here," Anderson said after posting his first victory since Nov. 11. "It's always good to win. It kind of fixes everything. Kind of puts everyone in a good mood, and you can live with mistakes a lot easier than when you lose."

Along with Anderson's 27-save performance, Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith both scored their second goal of the season for the Senators (10-13-7). Defenseman Cody Ceci added his fourth of the season, his second in two games.

"You hope it snaps the funk, but we recognized we needed to get some offense from guys, and some other guys stepped up as well," Ryan, who added an assist, said when asked about his personal struggles. "Less than 24 hours from getting home from a 15-day trip to get two points is huge."

The Rangers (16-12-3) lost their second game in a row and fell for the third time in the past four (1-2-1).

Michael Grabner's 15th of the season and Pavel Buchnevich's 11th accounted for the New York scoring. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 stops and became the 15th goalie in NHL history to record 20,000 saves.

The key goal of the game was scored by Smith, only eight seconds into the third period to give Ottawa a 3-1 lead.

"I was rewarded for losing the draw (to start the period)," he said. "And Tom (Pyatt) did the rest. He grinded it out down the boards and put a perfect pass right on my tape."

Rangers center J.T. Miller shouldered the blame

"It sucks, especially it was my guy," he said. "You can't set the tone for the period when you're down a goal like that. That's something that doesn't happen often. It's kind of a weird play. You wish it didn't happen."

Being down against the Senators in the third period is not an enviable position to be in, according to Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh.

"(Ottawa) is a frustrating team to play against," McDonagh said. "It's a style, everyone is aware of it. They have a lot of numbers back. The only thing I can pinpoint is our decision-making with the puck. Every time you play this team, it's about getting through the neutral zone, and they created a little more turnovers than we want when we play this team."

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault thought his team should have been more focused to start periods one and three.

"We gave up an early goal in the first, we gave up an early goal in the third," he said. "We know this team well, we know how they defend. There are some plays in front of you that you have to make, and their first two goals, we didn't make the plays through the neutral zone and they came back to make us pay.

"There's no doubt that goal early in the third really hurt us."

The Senators said the Ryan goal was large, as it was the first time they jumped on top first in six games.

"Playing with the lead is a lot different than trying to chase the game," Anderson said. "You kind of stick with the program a little longer, especially when things don't go the way you want them to go. You're quick to fall off the beaten path. I think when you get the lead, even if they score and tie it up, you still stay on that path to get to your results."

Before the game, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion talked about how he still had faith in his team, despite the fact it was seven points out of a playoff spot. He also gave a vote of confidence to coach Guy Boucher, saying no changes would be made behind the bench.

"Since the beginning, we've had a great solid relationship," Boucher said later of Dorion's comments. "It's about trusting each other. It's easy in life to say you back up somebody when things go well. Anybody can do that. It's when things don't go well and everybody panics and that's when we see who people are. I know who he is."

NOTES: Senators F Alex Burrows was a healthy scratch. .... Rangers C Mika Zibanejad (concussion) practiced with the team as a defenseman Tuesday but did not travel to Ottawa. ... The Senators sent D Ben Harpur to their AHL affiliate in Belleville on Wednesday and recalled F Nick Paul. ... The Senators' next game is Saturday, when the play host to the NHL 100 Classic outdoors game at TD Place against the Montreal Canadiens. ... The Rangers' next game is Friday at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

Sabres hold off Senators

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Evander Kane, Kyle Okposo and Benoit Pouliot scored to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Buffalo has points in its last four games (2-0-2) after losing 11 of 12 games (1-9-2). Robin Lehner made 24 saves.

Cody Ceci and Derick Brassard scored for the Senators (9-13-7), who have lost 12 of their past 13 games. Mike Condon made 23 saves.

Following a scoreless and uneventful first period, the Sabres (8-17-6) broke things open early in the second period with two goals in a span of 1:12.

Pouliot opened the scoring on an excellent one-man effort 4:13 into the second. Pouliot skated around Brassard before sliding a backhand pass through Condon's legs. It was Pouliot's eighth goal of the season.

Okposo made it 2-0 at 5:25 of the second. Center Ryan O'Reilly spotted Okposo cutting into the slot and fed him with a backhand pass from the outside. Okposo buried a one-timer for his fifth goal of the year.

Kane made it 3-0 with 7:27 remaining in the second on a power-play goal. With Zack Smith in the penalty box for hooking, Rasmus Ristolainen spotted Kane inside the right circle for a one-timer and Kane put home his team-best 14th goal of the season.

Ceci got the Senators on the board 6:43 into the third period on his own rebound opportunity. After his initial shot from the slot hit the post, Ceci buried the rebound for his third goal of the year.

Brassard cut Buffalo's lead to one with 51.4 seconds remaining on a long shot from the right point.

A pivotal moment in the game came midway through the second period when the Senators had a two-man advantage for 58 seconds. Ottawa had several quality chances on net but all were rebuffed by Lehner and the Sabres' defense.

NOTES: RW Hudson Fasching, D Nathan Beaulieu and D Victor Antipin were scratched for the Sabres. ... D Thomas Chabot was scratched for the Senators. ... This was the first of four meetings this season. The next meeting takes place Feb. 14 in Ottawa. ... The Sabres have points in nine straight meetings against the Senators (7-0-2) for the first time in the all-time series between both teams. ... G Robin Lehner was a second-round pick (46th overall) of the Senators in 2009. He played in 86 games for Ottawa before being traded to the Sabres in 2015.

Doughty's OT goal gives Kings 7th straight win

LOS ANGELES -- Despite putting together one of their better efforts this season, the desperate Ottawa Senators could not stop the surging Los Angeles Kings.

Lead once again by late-game heroics from their marquee players, the Kings remain the hottest team in the NHL.

Drew Doughty scored 32 seconds into overtime as Los Angeles defeated Ottawa 4-3 on Thursday night.

The Kings (19-8-3) won their seventh consecutive game, the longest streak in the NHL this season. Tanner Pearson, Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown registered Los Angeles' regulation goals, and Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves.

The Senators (9-11-7) fell for a third straight game and the 10th time in their past 11 (1-9-1). Matt Duchene, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ryan Dzingel registered goals. Mike Condon made 34 saves.

Doughty finished a two-on-one break with Anze Kopitar, firing in a wrist shot to win the game.

The Kings, normally a dominating team in the third period, surrendered the game-tying goal in the final minute. They have outscored the opposition 41-14 in the third person this season and were on the verge of winning in regulation before Ottawa rallied to salvage a much-needed standings point.

Los Angeles coach John Stevens believes there is still room for improvement despite a run that has put the Kings at the top of the Pacific Division.

"I will be honest, that was not our best game tonight," Stevens said. "Ottawa played last night, and they are in a stretch where they haven't had a lot of success. We knew they were going to be a very dangerous team."

Doughty concurred that the game was far from his team's best effort.

"It was probably our worst game out of the last seven wins," Doughty said. "We just don't give up. Whether we're down, whether we're up, we're trying to play the same way, and I think we're doing a good job at that."

The Senators put forth a far stronger effort than they displayed in consecutive shutout losses at Winnipeg on Sunday and at Anaheim on Wednesday. They rallied three times in the contest to send it to overtime. Duchene, who has struggled mightily since arrive in Ottawa via trade, scored for the first time in five games.

As he did after the Anaheim loss, Senators coach Guy Boucher chose to dwell on the positive aspects of his team's performance despite not getting the desired outcome.

"The Kings are the hottest team in the league," Boucher said. "We knew it was going to be difficult, but we came in and got 40 shots on goal. The effort was more than there tonight. The effort was remarkable."

The Senators as a group have remained positive publicly, and Duchene still believes his team can reverse their tailspin with more efforts like this one.

"I think it was two very good teams kind of going at it," Duchene said. "We played looser and were not afraid to lose. There were a lot of really good things tonight and we deserved a better result, that's for sure. This one stings. I think going forward, we have to find a way to build on it."

Brown tipped home a shot at 16:32 of the third period for his 12th goal of the season to give the Kings a 3-2 lead, but Dzingel's ninth goal of the season at 19:50 with Condon pulled sent the game to overtime.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead on Pearson's fifth goal of the season at 14:41 of the first period. Tyler Toffoli eluded Ottawa defenseman Ben Harpur and fed Pearson for the goal.

Ottawa evened the score at 1-1 on Duchene's power-play goal, his sixth of the season at 16:24 of the first period. Duchene converted the rebound of a Bobby Ryan tip.

Iafallo gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the season at 5:18 of the second period. Iafallo's wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle beat Condon.

The Senators tied the game at 2-2 on Pageau's third goal of the season at 8:08 of the second period. Pageau backhanded a rebound of a Harpur shot on a play initiated by Gabriel Dumont.

NOTES: Los Angeles executed a minor trade after the game, sending F Nic Dowd to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for D Jordon Subban. ... Ottawa scratched D Fredrik Claesson. ... The Senators continue their season-high, seven-game road trip on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. ... Kings C Andy Andreoff was activated from injured reserve, but he did not dress. ... Los Angeles also scratched D Oscar Fantenberg and Dowd. ... The Kings conclude their three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Ducks' Miller grinds out 40th career shutout

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Anaheim Ducks found the tonic to end a losing streak in an Ottawa Senators team whose season appears to be slipping away as the losses mount.

Ryan Miller made 29 saves to earn his 40th career shutout, and Adam Henrique registered two goals as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Wednesday night.

Anaheim (12-11-6) broke a three-game losing streak (0-1-2) by taking the opener of a three-game homestand. The Ducks have defeated Ottawa in seven of the past nine meetings played at the Honda Center.

Ottawa (9-11-6) lost its second straight game to start a season-high, seven-game road trip. Overall, the Senators have dropped nine of their past 10 contests (1-8-1).

Craig Anderson made 19 saves for Ottawa.

The Ducks had lost consecutive shootouts to the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, and while their effort was inconsistent Wednesday, it was more enough to get past a Senators team that has gone scoreless in its last 138:22.

Despite his fine offensive performance, Henrique focused on the Ducks' effort in their own zone as the key to the win and discussed joining his new team in the middle of a season.

"Coming off a tough shootout loss last night on the road, we knew we have to raise our level defensively tonight," Henrique said. "It's actually been a pretty good transition. The guys have been great on and off the ice."

Miller had a relatively easy time between the pipes with few difficult saves as he tied John Vanbiesbrouck and Frank Brimsek for the second-most shutouts by a U.S.-born goaltender. Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick tops the list with 46.

Miller also tied Montreal's Carey Price for seventh place among active goaltenders in shutouts while earning his first as a Duck.

The Senators continue to search for answers to stop the tailspin that has plummeted them down the Atlantic Division standings. Although their season is a little more than a quarter of the way complete, coach Guy Boucher knows his team cannot endure much more losing in the short term, though he chose to remain positive.

"The guys gave everything they had. It was a terrific bench," Boucher said. "Players sticking together and paying the price. We knew this was a big, tough, physical team. We met that physicality right on, right from the beginning. We got to reload, replenish here, and go back at it with the character and the togetherness we had tonight."

Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has struggled to reach the level that allowed him to capture the Norris Trophy in seasons past, is still searching for answers.

"You're playing good teams every night, and they're going to create their fair share of scoring chances as well," Karlsson said. "You never know exactly what is causing it and what is going on. When things are not going your way, you try and look for answers that are not there. You try and get out of your comfort zone and do different things, but at the end of the day, you need to do the things you are good at, and I think that we are starting to get to that."

Henrique scored his fifth goal of the season and first in an Anaheim uniform to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 3:47 of the second period. Henrique one-timed a feed from Rickard Rakell past Anderson to extend his point streak as a Duck to four games.

Corey Perry earned the secondary assist.

Anaheim extended its lead to 2-0 on Ondrej Kase's sixth goal of the season at 11:10 of the second period. Kase was left unguarded in the right corner of the Ottawa defensive zone and skated toward the net, deking Cody Ceci out of position to covert a backhand shot.

Nick Ritchie and Josh Manson earned assists.

Henrique added an empty-net goal for his sixth of the season at 18:25 of the third period to close out the scoring. Antoine Vermette and Cam Fowler registered assists.

NOTES: Ottawa scratched D Fredrik Claesson. ... The Senators continue their road trip in Los Angeles on Thursday, facing the red-hot Los Angeles Kings. ... Anaheim did not dress D Korbinian Holzer, RW Jakob Silfverberg and C Joseph Blandisi. Silfverberg missed his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury. ... The Ducks return to action Friday, welcoming the Minnesota Wild for the middle match of their homestand. ... Anaheim placed D Hampus Lindholm on injured reserve. He will miss Friday's game. The Ducks recalled D Jaycob Megna on Tuesday to fill the roster spot.

GAME SUMS

First Period-None. Penalties-Brassard, OTT, (holding stick), 6:11; Perry, ANA, Major (fighting), 7:15; Phaneuf, OTT, Major (fighting), 7:15; Montour, ANA, (interference), 12:31; Cogliano, ANA, (tripping), 19:39.
Second Period-1, Anaheim, Henrique 5 (Rakell, Perry), 3:47. 2, Anaheim, Kase 6 (Manson, Ritchie), 11:10. Penalties-Manson, ANA, (delay of game), 11:49.
Third Period-3, Anaheim, Henrique 6 (Vermette, Fowler), 18:25. Penalties-Phaneuf, OTT, (slashing), 3:48.
Shots on Goal-Ottawa 8-8-13-29. Anaheim 10-5-8-23.
Power-play opportunities-Ottawa 0 of 3; Anaheim 0 of 2.
Goalies-Ottawa, Anderson 7-9-3 (21 shots-19 saves). Anaheim, Miller 3-0-4 (29-29).
A-15,890 (17,174). Referees-Chris Schlenker, Brad Watson. Linesmen-Trent Knorr, Vaughan Rody.

Hellebuyck, Wheeler lift Jets over Senators 5-0

Associated Press

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck was relieved to finally shut the door on an opponent.

Hellebuyck made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season, captain Blake Wheeler had a goal and three assists, and the Winnipeg Jets crushed the Ottawa Senators 5-0 on Sunday night.

“It feels like I finally got the monkey off my back,” said Hellebuyck, who has a 15-2-3 record this season.

“This is more of a team shutout. When the guys are playing as good as they are in front of me, it makes my life a lot easier. When one guy is feeling it, you can see it go through the locker-room. That’s what we have in here now.”

The victory boosted Winnipeg’s Western Conference-leading record to 17-6-4. Their 38 points also tied them for first overall in the league with idle Tampa Bay, which has a game in hand.

Wheeler’s linemates Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault also had a goal each.

“Maybe one of the most dominating performances I’ve been part of in this league, to be honest,” Perreault said. “From the first minute, we took over the game. I think at one point the shots (were) 40-something to 15. We were in their end the whole game. ... They had a couple chances and (Hellebuyck) shut the door.”

Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers also scored for the Jets, who boosted their home winning streak to six games. They’re also unbeaten in regulation in their last 10 games at home (9-0-1).

Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien each had a pair of assists. Scheifele added one helper, extending his point streak to four games. Winnipeg’s 49 shots were its highest total of the season.

“It’s about as embarrassing as I’ve ever felt playing in the NHL so definitely one we’ve got to wash away,” Senators forward Mark Stone said. “Lack of confidence, lack of effort. Anything you want to say, it wasn’t there tonight.”

Mike Condon let in five goals on 22 shots and was replaced by Craig Anderson early in the second period. Anderson made 27 saves the rest of the way.

Ottawa halted a seven-game skid with a 6-5 victory Friday night over the New York Islanders. Erik Karlsson’s pointless streak stretched to 10 games.

NOTES: The Jets outshot the Sens 19-3 in the opening period. ... Laine was playing his 100th career game and Myers his 500th. ... The Jets were 3 for 5 on the power play and the Senators were scoreless on three attempts.

UP NEXT

Senators: Continue seven-game trip at Anaheim on Wednesday night.

Jets: Start a three-game road trip at Detroit on Tuesday night.

Price leads Canadiens to 3rd straight win, 2-1 over Senators

Associated Press
MONTREAL (AP) — As poorly as Carey Price played early in the season, he is making up for it now.

Price made 27 saves for his third win in three starts since he missed 10 games with a lower body injury, helping the Montreal Canadiens beat the slumping Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The star goaltender, who began the season 3-7-1 with a 3.77 goals-against average, is 3-0-0 and has allowed only two goals on 102 shots since he returned last week.

“He’s been our best player,” forward Andrew Shaw said. “He’s calm, he’s cool, he’s making big-time saves and working hard for us.

“We’re trying to do the same for him. Even when they dump it in he’s like a third defenseman for us, moving the puck and getting it out of our end.”

Jonathan Drouin scored on his first NHL penalty shot and Phillip Danault also had a goal for Montreal, which ended a three-game homestand.

Mark Stone scored his 14th goal for Ottawa, which has lost seven straight games for its longest drought since also going 0-6-1 from Jan. 21 to Feb. 7, 2012.

The Senators have not won since sweeping a pair of games from Colorado in Stockholm, Sweden, on Nov. 10-11.

The Senators had chances, but couldn’t score on three power plays in the second period.

“We played pretty well right from the start of the game,” forward Zack Smith said. “You could tell it was two desperate teams. ... If we had capitalized on any one of the power plays we would have won. But same thing. A couple of missed assignments. A couple of lapses, and that’s the NHL. That will cost you the game.”

Ottawa goalie Mike Condon, pressed into service by Montreal when Price missed most of the 2015-16 season with an injury, started against his former team for the first time and finished with 29 saves.

“I moved on pretty quickly after everything happened,” Condon said of facing the Canadiens. “It’s always fun coming into this building. ... It’s always lively and there’s lots of energy so it was great to come back. I just wish we could have got a better outcome.”

The Senators struck short-handed when Stone intercepted Alex Galchenyuk’s pass at the right point, skated in alone and beat Price with a backhander 4:02 into the game.

Drouin tied it 2:56 into the second on a penalty shot after he was hooked from behind on a breakaway by Cody Ceci. Drouin beat Condon with a low wrist shot off a post. The last Canadiens player to score on a penalty shot was Dale Weise against Boston on Nov. 13, 2014.

“It was actually kind of nerve-wracking,” said Drouin, who had not taken a penalty shot since junior hockey. “I had two moves in my head and decided to shoot at the last second. ... It was a cool moment.”

Danault darted to the net to one-time Andrew Shaw’s feed past Condon at 5:14 for his first goal in 15 games.

NOTES: Senators defenseman and captain Erik Karlsson has not scored a point in his last seven games. ... Canadiens D Shea Weber missed a fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. Coach Claude Julien said Weber will make the trip to Detroit but is not certain to play. ... The Canadiens paid tribute to Mark Recchi in a pregame ceremony for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His name and number were added to the ring of honor at the Bell Centre. Video tributes were read on the scoreboard from former teammates Saku Koivu and Vincent Damphousse. Recchi scored 120 goals in 346 games in five seasons in Montreal in the 1990s. His picture will go up in the dressing room with the team’s 47 other Hall of Famers.

UP NEXT

Senators: At the New York Islanders in the second game of a seven-game trip.

Canadiens: At Detroit on Thursday night to open a home-and-home set.

Lundqvist gets 63rd shutout, Rangers beat Senators 3-0

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Although Henrik Lundqvist didn’t face a lot of shots, he came up big when he needed to.

Lundqvist stopped 20 shots for his second shutout of the season and 63rd of his career, leading the New York Rangers over the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Sunday night.

“When you get that kind of support like I got tonight, clearing in front of me and getting to rebounds, it’s easy to play in goal,” said the veteran goalie, who was tested with 85 shots in losses at Chicago and Columbus the previous two games. “You just try to be solid and be there. They didn’t have much and the guys played a really smart game tonight.”

Kevin Hayes, Michael Grabner and Mika Zibanejad scored, and Mats Zuccarello had two assists to help the Rangers win the teams’ first meeting since the Senators eliminated New York in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last May.

New York won for the seventh time in nine games and got its sixth straight victory at home.

“We put pressure when we needed to, we stepped back when we had to,” Lundqvist said. “They have some really skilled players, players that can shoot the puck, too, and you have to respect that.”

Craig Anderson finished with 24 saves for the Senators, who lost in regulation on the road for the first time this season after starting 4-0-1.

“Not one of our best,” Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson said “We couldn’t really find a groove and didn’t find a way to sustain the pressure we knew that we could create. ... We didn’t have an answer for what they threw at us.”

With the Rangers leading 1-0, Lundqvist was tested early in the third. Mark Borowiecki fired a shot from the left point that the goalie stopped, and then he had to make a sensational left pad save on former teammate Derick Brassard’s tip attempt on the rebound a little more than two minutes in. The Senators managed just three more shots on goal the rest of the period.

Grabner doubled New York’s lead with a deflection on Marc Staal’s shot from the point for his ninth of the season at 4:52. Grabner has eight goals and an assist in his last 11 games after getting a goal and an assist in the first 10.

There was some pushing and shoving about 2 1/2 minutes later after Borowiecki took a hit from the Rangers’ Brendan Smith and went into the boards and crumpled to the ice. Borowiecki was down for several minutes and appeared to lose consciousness before being helped to the dressing room. Smith received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct, ending his night.

The Rangers clamped down on the penalty kill there, finishing the night 3 for 3.

Zibanejad’s long empty-netter from his own blue line with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining made it 3-0 with his team-leading 10th.

Hayes got the Rangers on the scoreboard first, taking a pass from Jesper Fast and firing a shot from the right circle that went over Anderson’s left shoulder for his fifth of the season at 4:46 of the second.

In the latter part of the middle period, Lundqvist had to stop a tip attempt in front by Mark Stone and a follow backhand try by Jean-Gabriel Pageau with just over four minutes remaining.

Lundqvist’s best save of the opening period came late as he made a glove save while sliding to his right on a shot by Hoffman off a pass from Brassard on an odd-man rush.

“That’s old school right there,” Lundqvist said. “I think the last few weeks I have been playing a little more aggressive so my side-to-side movements are sometimes a little longer. I felt like in that situation there was a long way to go, so that’s why I decided to go two-pad stack there and it worked out.”

NOTES: C Matt Duchene has no points in five games with Ottawa since being acquired from Colorado as part of a three-team trade that sent F Kyle Turris to Nashville. ... Ottawa opened a stretch of 10 of 11 away from home. ... The teams play two more times this season: Dec. 13 and Feb. 17, both at Ottawa. ... The Rangers improved to 8-3-0 when scoring first and 6-0-0 when leading after two periods. ... New York is 27 for 31 on the penalty kill over the last 10 games.

UP NEXT

Senators: At Washington on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game trip.

Rangers: At Carolina on Wednesday night before a four-game homestand.

Hornqvist, Guentzel lead Penguins to 3-1 win over Senators

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Matt Murray’s big save on Mike Hoffman in the first period Thursday night might have been the turning point for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hoffman had a rebound and an open net to the right of Murray, but the Pittsburgh goalie dove across to knock a shot off the goal line with his glove.

The play was reviewed, but the call on the ice stood as replays showed the puck never crossed the line and barely rolled to the outside of the post. The patient Penguins regrouped and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

“It looks like it’s a for sure goal with the play they made and (Murray) looks like he was down and out and finds a way to get his glove on it,” Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said.

“That’s a big point in the game and if they score that they get some momentum and it’s a different outcome.”

Murray made 21 saves for the win and faced just 12 shots over the final two periods.

Patric Hornqvist and Jake Guentzel each scored in the second for the Penguins (11-7-3). Riley Sheahan added an empty-netter at 19:29 of the third.

“It was nice to get a road win,” Crosby said. “They’re not a team that gives you a lot so we had to play a patient game and we generated some good chances.”

After Murray’s big save in the first, the Penguins took control and allowed only one good scoring chance the rest of the way on a breakaway goal by Jean-Gabriel Pageau at 10:29 of the third period.

Craig Anderson turned aside 26 shots for Ottawa (8-4-5), who won its previous two games.

“I thought we had a good start but it’s hard to come back from two goals against a good team like that,” Pageau said.

“I thought we played better than them in the first and obviously a good team is going to bounce back. They did play a better second than us.”

Matt Duchene, acquired by the Senators from Colorado last week and playing in his third game with Ottawa, agreed.

“We got away from what we did in the first,” he said. “In the first we were foot to the floor, we were getting pucks to the net, and in the second we couldn’t get any flow. It was kind of a disjointed game.”

The teams played a tight-checking game through the first 10 minutes of the third period as both sides had just one shot on goal.

“We were patient, we took plays when they were there and when we didn’t we got pucks deep and we went to work,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

“I think that’s the type of game you have to play against a counter-attack team like Ottawa. I thought our guys really bought in.”

NOTES: Hoffman also hit the crossbar behind Murray eight minutes into the game. ... Nick Paul was the lone scratch for the Senators. Scratches for the Penguins were Frank Corrado and Josh Archibald. ... Senators forward Zack Smith was placed on injured reserve with a thumb injury. ... The Penguins are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games against Ottawa.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Senators: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.

GLOBAL SERIES GAME 2 PREVIEW: Senators vie for sweep of Avalanche in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- If the Ottawa Senators and the Colorado Avalanche can produce another game like they did on Friday night, the NHL's return to Sweden via its Global Series will be a smashing success.

The Senators' 4-3 overtime victory in front of a sellout crowd of 13,639 at the Ericsson Globe had a definitive Swedish flavor.

Prior to the contest, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly suggested that it won't take another six years for regular-season games to return to Sweden.

"When you are launching projects like the World Cup of Hockey, you do not want to put a competitive product out there at the same time," Daly said. "We have a willing partner in the NHLPA and I suspect the frequency of European games will increase in the short term."

While challenged to fight multiple time zone changes, both teams acclimated by the time the puck was dropped for the first of the two-game set. Swedish hockey legend Peter Forsberg kicked off the night by dropping the puck for the ceremonial first faceoff and four Swedes hit the scoresheet, Ottawa's Fredrik Claesson, Erik Karlsson and Johnny Oduya, and Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog.

The Senators' overtime win was a change in fortunes in the extra session, as the club entered the contest with a 1-5 record past regulation. Mark Stone's second goal of the night 59 seconds into overtime gave Ottawa the extra point.

Stone's start has is no surprise to coach Guy Boucher, who sees one quality in his winger's play for the reason for his strong start.

"Tenacity, it is all about his approach to the game," Boucher said. "There is nothing special he is doing. He brings maximum effort every shift in every game. He is a great leader and sets the tone for everyone."

Matt Duchene's debut in an Ottawa uniform was quiet. After being traded from Colorado on Sunday, his transition to a new offensive style will take time to develop. Duchene registered a minus-1 rating in the win and recorded two shots on goal. Boucher is grateful to have Duchene added to the roster and believes his learning curve will be short.

"Matt is a smart player and he will quickly learn how to play with his teammates, he is no stranger to it given his international experience," Boucher said. "If you are asking me how long it will take him to be comfortable in our system, I would say three weeks but that does not mean he cannot play well as he becomes comfortable in our structure."

In their first game with Duchene, Colorado did not lack offense as rookie center Alexander Kerfoot continues to impress. He registered a goal and an assist to raise his output to six goals and five assists in 15 games and is expected to take a more prominent role with the absence of Duchene.

One of the players acquired in the Duchene trade, defenseman Samuel Girard, made his debut and registered an assist on Kerfoot's goal. Girard, a mobile puck moving defenseman drafted in the second round by Nashville, is expected to improve the Colorado blueline quickly.

Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the team in scoring with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) was impressed by Girard's debut.

"It's awesome that he can be such a threat for us," MacKinnon said. "I'm really excited to have him."

The Senators will be the designated home team for Saturday's game, which is scheduled to start one hour earlier local time.

Daly said that the ticket demand for this series exceeded that for the 2011 Premiere Series featuring the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Friday sellout was impressive given the competition of a World Cup Soccer qualifying home game being played by the Swedish national team simultaneously, so another sellout could be in the offing for the concluding game.