OTTAWA, ON – A goal and an assist by Brady Tkachuk helped the Ottawa Senators get past the visiting Florida Panthers 5-2 on Monday night.
Erik Brannstrom, Alex DeBrincat, Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto also scored goals for the Senators (36-33-5), while Mads Sogaard made 32 saves for the win.
The Panthers (36-31-7), who have now lost four straight games, got two goals from Gustav Forsling and a 21-save performance from Sergei Bobrovsky.
Holding a slim 3-2 late in the game, Stutzle scored at 17:37 to give the Senators the insurance goal they would need. Shane Pinto then scored into an empty net with 90 seconds to play to ice the game.
With virtually no room for error in pursuit of a playoff position, the Senators came out swinging opening up a 2-0 lead before the end of the opening 20 minutes.
Tkachuk opened the scoring on a nice setup from Thomas Chabot nine minutes into the game. Chabot made a stutter-step move at the blue line before driving to the middle of the ice before dishing off to Tkachuk for a one-timer from the side of the goal.
Then, with just over a minute to play in the opening period, Brannstrom picked up a loose puck in front and beat Bobrovsky with a quick shot on the power play.
The Panthers got one back six minutes into the second period when Forsling beat Sogaard with a point shot, but DeBrincat restored Ottawa’s two-goal lead when he finished off a three-way passing play on the power play with less than a minute to play in the second period.
Forsling scored his second goal of the game just seconds after the Senators killed off a penalty midway through the third period.
The Senators were 3-for-4 on the power play, while the Panthers went 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Left Wing Ryan Lomberg (94) looks to tip a shot while battling Ottawa Senators Defenceman Travis Hamonic (23) in front of Goalie Mads Sogaard (40) during first period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Center Aleksander Barkov (16) and Ottawa Senators Left Wing Brady Tkachuk (7) are separated by Linesman Trent Knorr (74) and Steve Barton (59) after a piece of glass after it was knocked out by a hit during first period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Ottawa Senators Right Wing Claude Giroux (28) skates with the puck chased by Florida Panthers Left Wing Anton Lundell (15) during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Defenceman Marc Staal (18) skates during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Defenceman Brandon Montour (62) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Defenceman Aaron Ekblad (5) in the defensive zone during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Ottawa Senators Left Wing Alex DeBrincat (12) celebrates a goal with Right Wing Drake Batherson (19) and Center Tim Stutzle (18) during second period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Florida Panthers Right Wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) skates in front of Ottawa Senators Goalie Mads Sogaard (40) during third period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 27: Ottawa Senators Goalie Mads Sogaard (40) after making a save during third period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)
