The National Hockey League’s playoff picture now includes the Ottawa Senators.
With a thrilling 3-2 victory over Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins in front of 18,892 spectators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night, the Senators moved into the final wildcard slot in the Eastern Conference and extended their winning streak to three straight for the first time this season.
Captain Brady Tkachuk scored the OT winner.
Ottawa is in the final wild-card slot because they have played less games than the Senators, who knotted the Philadelphia Flyers and Senators in the standings with 32 points apiece after a victory.
Drake Batherson also contributed a goal, and defenseman Thomas Chabot had a two-point effort that included a goal.
Tristan Jarry was in goal for the Penguins, and Linus Ullmark made his third start in goal in four days following Friday’s 3-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Batherson gave the Senators a 2-1 lead at 6:38 of the third period with his 13th goal of the season, but Kris Letang of the Penguins leveled the score at 12:42 with a shot that seemed to bounce off Chabot’s stick on its way past Ullmark.
The Senators have had a difficult time getting back into the postseason picture. They were five points behind the last wild-card slot and placed second-last in the East on December 1 following a 4-3 overtime loss in Anaheim.
Coach Travis Green of Ottawa stated, “I’m not going to lie, I think our guys feel good about themselves.” And they ought to. We were discussing how the world was collapsing around them three or four weeks ago.
“I’m not worried about the past. It doesn’t matter. I don’t really care about it and all I care about is today.”
The Senators needed the two points against the Penguins because they won’t play at home again until Jan. 9 with the IIHF world junior hockey championship taking over the Canadian Tire Centre.
A stretch of nine straight games on the road begins when the Senators face the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
BACK TO ULLMARK
Coming off Friday’s shutout victory over the ‘Canes, the Senators planned to have Ullmark back up on Saturday, but had to make a late switch. Anton Forsberg, who had been scheduled to start, was a late scratch with what the club called a “minor injury” while preparing to go on the ice.
Those who wanted to see Ullmark start back-to-back games for the first time this season got their wish. Forsberg has only one win in his past five starts, and he gave three goals on 12 shots last Sunday against the New York Islanders
“It was one of those unfortunate events that happens,” said Ullmark, who noted he found out just before warmup.
After a tough start to the season, Ullmark has found his game and has posted a 5-0-1 record in his last six appearances. In that stretch, he has a 1.48 goals-against average and .954 save percentage.
When facing the Penguins, he needed to be at his peak.
At 2:40 of the third quarter, Blake Lizotte grabbed a rebound to give Pittsburgh a 1-1 lead. Ullmark had little chance of making the stop, as the Senators were unable to get the ball out of their zone.
“We don’t break, but we bend,” Ullmark stated.
Halfway through the first period, Erik Karlsson, a defenseman for the Penguins, was about to put a rebound into the net when Ullmark made an incredible save. In order to make the save, the Ottawa goalie tried again to get his stick across the crease.
In fact, I gave him my gratitude. “He saved my ass,” Chabot remarked.
TURNING AVOID SID THE CHILD
Stopping Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has presented the Senators with a number of challenges.
In 49 career games against Ottawa, he had 19 goals, 38 assists, and 57 points going into this game. He had also scored three goals and 14 points in the previous 11 games. Against the Senators, Crosby also needed one more point to overtake the great Jaromir Jagr for the franchise lead in points.
When Ullmark made a huge blocker stop on Crosby with 1:20 remaining in the second period, the crowd stood up.
At 7:34 in the first session, Chabot scored the first goal. Claude Giroux, a teammate, demonstrated patience by gliding around the net and then passing to Chabot, who beat Jarry, in the faceoff circle.
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