Sensational Comeback: Senators Defeat Bruins in Shootout
The Ottawa Senators pulled off an incredible comeback to beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday. The win was highlighted by two late goals with the goalie pulled for an extra skater, one by Nick Jensen and another by Josh Norris.
A Historic Comeback
“Probably the greatest comeback I’ve ever been a part of,” said Ottawa goalie Leevi Merilainen. “Such a crazy game. High emotions. Felt like a playoff game for the most part.”
Jensen scored a snap shot from the right face-off circle at 16:47 to bring the Senators within one goal, 5-4. Boston’s coach Joe Sacco admitted that his team needed to improve their defense when leading with six players on the ice, saying, “We just have to be better defending that lead when it’s 6-on-5.”
Then, with just 12 seconds remaining, Norris tied the game at 5-5 with a one-timed shot from Claude Giroux’s pass.
Norris Reflects on the Goal
“I was so out of breath, I was dying,” Norris said. “‘G’ put it on a platter for me. Just a great play, man, great play. … It was a lot of fun; the crowd was great. Just a couple crazy momentum swings and, yeah, proud of the guys. We hung in there. Man, that was a hard game.”
Shootout Heroics
In the shootout, Tim Stutzle scored the winning goal, and Norris, who had already scored twice in regulation, contributed with a goal and an assist.
Merilainen made 23 saves for the Senators (23-18-4), who are now 4-0-1 in their last five games. Ottawa coach Travis Green praised the victory, saying, “Big character win. But we’re going to learn a lot of lessons as we go down the stretch.”
Bruins’ Struggles
David Pastrnak led the Bruins (22-19-6) with a goal and two assists, while Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie each had a goal and an assist. Jeremy Swayman made 39 saves in goal for Boston, but the team lost for the seventh time in their last nine games (2-5-2). Coach Sacco acknowledged that the team needed to limit scoring chances: “‘Sway’ was in there tonight and he gave us a chance to win again. We have to cut down on certain scoring opportunities to help him out.”
Scoring Breakdown
The Senators took a 1-0 lead early in the first period when Adam Gaudette scored at 1:47. Stutzle added another goal to make it 2-0 at 7:35. The Bruins responded with Zacha’s power-play goal at 11:07 to cut the lead to 2-1, and Pastrnak tied the game 2-2 with a wrist shot at 19:22.
In the second period, Geekie scored for Boston to give them a 3-2 lead at 1:06. Norris quickly responded with a power-play goal to make it 3-3. Later, a shot from John Beecher gave Boston a 4-3 lead, but Vinni Lettieri extended Boston’s lead to 5-3 in the third period.
Tkachuk Compares Game to Playoff Atmosphere
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk reflected on the game’s intensity, saying, “I’ve never played a playoff game before, but I feel like that emulated it pretty solid tonight. There’s been some pretty awesome atmospheres, but I don’t know, this one just felt different. It felt like a preview of what’s to come.”
