Senators snap 6-game skid, edge Penguins in OT

Field Level Media|published: Sat 23rd December, 22:22 2023

Dec 19, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Ottawa Senators interim head coach Jacques Martin looks on in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. credits: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Stutzle scored 1:10 into overtime on Saturday as the Ottawa Senators snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

After the Senators blew two two-goal leads, Stutzle gave Ottawa the victory by lifting the puck over the stick of Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who had attempted a poke-check.

Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and Jakob Chychrun, Josh Norris and Erik Brannstrom each had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who had been 0-2 since Jacques Martin took over as interim head coach.

Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg made 30 saves.

Kris Letang had a goal and two assists and Lars Eller, Rickard Rakell and Drew O'Connor also scored the Penguins, who had won two straight games.

Nedeljkovic made 21 saves.

Chychrun opened the scoring at 11:07 of the first. From the lower part of the left circle, he got the puck as it caromed off the end boards and sent a knuckler inside the near post for a 1-0 Ottawa lead.

On a power play at 14:31 of the first, Eller tied it when he roofed a shot from the bottom of the right circle that squeezed inside the near post.

Norris restored the Senators' lead 30 seconds later. Tkachuk centered the puck from deep, and Norris batted it out of the air to make it 2-1.

At 2:10 of the second, Tkachuk boosted Ottawa's lead to 3-1 on a back-door deflection near the right post off a pass from Claude Giroux.

Pittsburgh got back within a goal at 4:59 of the second. Sidney Crosby shot the puck from the right dot, and Rakell deflected it past Forsberg's blocker to make it 3-2.

Brannstrom pushed it to 4-2 at 7:30 of the second. He had a two-on-none rush with Tkachuk, with Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson closely chasing. Brannstrom converted a feed from Tkachuk for a goal that survived an offside challenge by Pittsburgh.

O'Connor deflected in a shot by Marcus Pettersson at 1:51 of the third to cut it to 4-3.

Letang tied it with 2:26 left in regulation with a far-side blast from the right point.

—Field Level Media

Latest