Ottawa Senators end skid with win over San Jose Sharks
It was their first victory since Feb. 3, and it required a four-goal outburst in the third period.
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Winning was the only option for the Ottawa Senators.
This wasn’t a statement game or a measuring stick. Instead, it was a chance for the Senators to halt a five-game losing skid against the National Hockey League’s worst team.
Mission accomplished as the Senators righted the ship with a 5-3 victory over the lowly San Jose Sharks on Saturday night in front of 18,602 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
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“That was a big win,” said Ottawa coach Travis Green.
Making their return to the lineup from injuries, captain Brady Tkachuk and centre Shane Pinto both contributed goals, while Tim Stutzle, David Perron and Michael Amadio also scored as the Senators picked up an important two points.
This was exactly what the doctor ordered as the Senators picked up their first win since Feb. 3 by scoring four times in the third period.
Will Smith pulled the Sharks to within a goal by scoring on a power play with 1:29 left in the third period. The Senators were more upset that San Jose’s Tyler Toffoli cross-checked Jake Sanderson in the back of the neck, but there was no penalty called.
Green wasn’t happy about the incident and you can expect the National Hockey League’s department of player safety will look at it.
“I don’t know (if he’s okay),” said Green. “I don’t know how that’s not a penalty. Cross-check right in the back of the neck. It’s tough to watch, to be honest.”
GET IT DONE
Tkachuk noted the Senators had to “treat every game like it’s Game 7 from this point. We have to go out and enjoy it.”
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Easier said than done.
This stretch comes with pressure to win, and, if the Senators are to make the playoffs, they need at least 15 wins in the season’s final six weeks.
They went into Saturday night’s action four points out of the final wildcard spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, needing wins to keep pace.
They had been outscored 23-8 in the previous five games, but couldn’t complain about not getting the bounces in this one.
Stutzle gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead with his 19th of the season only three minutes into the third period. A fortunate bounce off the stanchion meant the Sharks’ Vitek Vanecek was caught out of his net and all Stutzle had to do was deposit the puck into the open goal.
Tkachuk had tied it up 2-2 at 1:26 of the third with his 22nd of the season as Ottawa was on a two-man advantage. He threaded the needle with a shot that beat Vanecek through a crowd.
“Those are positions we’re going to find ourselves in by being down going into the third and we still find ways to get the job done,” said Tkachuk. “That’s a big two points. Playoff hockey starts right now and we’ve got to win these games to get into the dance.”
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He patted his heart after the goal.
“That’s to show my love for the fans,” Tkachuk said. “It’s going to be a fun ride so buckle up and enjoy it.”
STOP IT, LINUS
The Senators have turned to Linus Ullmark in goal down the stretch.
Head coach Travis Green stated on Friday that Ullmark would play the bulk of the remaining regular-season games because he was the top goalie.
He had posted a 0-4-0 record since returning from a back injury that kept him out for six weeks, posting an .898 save percentage and a 4.35 goals-against average in that stretch.
The apologists like to point out that Ullmark had a save percentage over .900 in three of those four losses, but wins are all that matter. His last win had come on Dec. 19 against the Calgary Flames.
“We’ll take the two points. We got better and better as the game went on here,” said Perron, who scored at 8:31 of the third to give the club a 4-2 lead. “We kept the momentum going and that’s something we have to understand the value of those types of shifts.
“We just had to stay with it.”
The Sharks pulled out to a 2-1 lead in the second on the strength of two power-play goals. The first came with Thomas Chabot in the box, and the second was after a Tkachuk penalty.
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Timothy Liljegren fired a shot from the top of the zone that appeared to deflect off the stick of Senators forward Ridly Greig, changing direction and beating Ullmark at 9:47 of the second period.
Toffoli’s 22nd of the season tied it 1-1 for the Sharks at 5:17 of the second. Toffoli was parked on the glove side and just had to tap home a pass.
WELCOME BACK
Pinto stepped up when he was needed the most.
The Senators were being outshot 9-1 midway through the first period, and it was looking even worse with Ottawa’s Matthew Highmore sent off for a holding penalty.
The Senators, however, produced their ninth shorthanded goal of the season as Pinto took a pass from Greig, skated in alone and beat Vanecek with a shot high on the glove side at 11:05.
It was the 28th time this season the Senators had opened the scoring in a game, and they had a 22-5-0 record in those previous contests.
It was Pinto’s third goal in six games.
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