Kyle Palmieri scored the go-ahead goal with 6:14 left, helping the New York Islanders defeat the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Sunday. This win gave the Islanders their second consecutive victory, having also beaten the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Saturday.
Anders Lee and Kyle MacLean each scored once in the first period, and Bo Horvat added an empty-net goal with 51 seconds remaining. Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves in the win.
For the Senators, Adam Gaudette scored in the first period and Josh Norris added a goal in the second. Ottawa’s two-game winning streak came to an end, with goalie Anton Forsberg making nine saves.
Gaudette gave the Senators a brief lead 5:37 into the game after finishing an end-to-end rush. Noah Gregor passed the puck to Gaudette, who scored past Sorokin. The Islanders responded with a power-play goal by Lee at 12:27, following a rebound of Noah Dobson’s shot.
Ottawa Senators and Seattle Kraken
MacLean put the Islanders ahead again 2:21 later when Dennis Cholowski passed the puck into the crease, and it deflected off MacLean’s stick past Forsberg.
Norris tied the game 37 seconds into the second period with a power-play goal, assisted by Drake Batherson. Batherson made a no-look pass from the crease to Norris, who scored in the upper-right corner.
A tripping penalty on Norris set up Palmieri’s game-winner. Lee passed the puck from the goal line to Palmieri, who shot from the left faceoff circle, beating Forsberg. Forsberg was pulled from the net with less than three minutes left, but Ottawa couldn’t get a shot on goal before Horvat sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
The New York Islanders were able to hold on to a third-period lead on Saturday. They won’t have to wait long to try to achieve something even rarer.
The Islanders will try to win back-to-back games for only the second time this season on Sunday when they visit the Ottawa Senators in a matchup of Eastern Conference rivals.
Both teams will be completing back-to-back games after winning at home on Saturday. The Islanders won 4-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes with a strong four-goal second period, while the Senators defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1.
That victory was just the fourth for the Islanders in their last 14 games (4-5-5). They bounced back from a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday with a strong all-around performance against the Hurricanes. Carolina had eliminated New York from the Eastern Conference playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
Bo Horvat’s goal, his first since Nov. 7 and his sixth of the season, capped the Islanders’ four-goal second period. New York was outshot 19-2 in the third but managed to hold off Carolina until Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored in the final minute with an extra attacker.
The Islanders have blown a third-period lead in six of their last 10 losses and seven of their 18 defeats this season.
“We had to bounce back,” said Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock. “(Thursday night) was probably our worst game of the year. That’s a good team (Carolina). That’s a good win for us.”
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
The Islanders haven’t won two consecutive games since Nov. 5-7, when they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout and then defeated the Senators 4-2. Despite their inconsistency, New York is just two points behind the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We’ve got to play the same way,” Pulock said. “This is a win you can build off.”
Ottawa has been on a positive run after a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) from Nov. 14-23. The Senators have won four of their last six (4-1-1), including three one-goal wins in that stretch. They had been 3-4 in one-goal games before this recent streak.
“The record speaks for itself a little bit,” said Senators coach Travis Green. “We’ve played some good hockey as of late. We’re still grinding. We’re finding our game again.”
The Senators never trailed on Saturday. Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker broke a scoreless tie 5:07 into the second period, and goalie Linus Ullmark kept a shutout until deep into the third, finishing with 37 saves.
The Senators have won back-to-back games twice in their last six contests, after having two two-game winning streaks in November.
“I think we feel that things are kind of starting to come together,” Bernard-Docker said after scoring his first goal since Jan. 9. “We’re starting to build on games, which earlier in the season, wasn’t really happening. It kind of felt like we’d win one, lose one, win one, lose one. So it’s nice to have a little momentum.”
Linus Ullmark stopped 37 out of 38 shots on Saturday night, helping the Ottawa Senators secure a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators, who have now lost seven games in a row.
Jacob Bernard-Docker, Claude Giroux, and Nick Cousins scored for the Senators, with Tim Stutzle earning two assists.
Fedor Svechkov broke up Ullmark’s shutout, scoring for the Predators with just 1:57 left in the game. Juuse Saros made 27 saves for Nashville.
The best chance to score in the scoreless first period came at 13:06, when Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk made a clever chip pass to Josh Norris, but Norris couldn’t get the puck past Saros.
Bernard-Docker scored his first goal of the season early in the second period, thanks to a pass from Stutzle. He fired the puck into the top corner to give Ottawa the lead.
Giroux doubled the Senators’ advantage with 3:08 left in the second period. His attempted pass deflected off Nashville defenseman Steven Stamkos’ skate and went into the net.
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Late in the second, Ullmark stopped Tommy Novak’s 2-on-1 chance and then got some help from the post when Roman Josi’s shot hit the iron.
The Predators tried to bring some energy to their struggling offense by playing physically. Zack Ostapchuk fought Cole Smith with less than 30 seconds left in the second period.
Cousins sealed the win for Ottawa with a breakaway goal at 7:23 in the third period, making it 3-0.
Nashville’s Alexandre Carrier left the game after taking a big hit from Tkachuk less than two minutes into the third period.
The Nashville Predators are looking to bounce back in a Saturday night game against the host Ottawa Senators.
The Predators are stuck in a season-long six-game losing streak (0-3-3) and will need to improve their offense if they want a chance to turn things around.
Nashville has not scored more than two goals in any of the six games and is near the bottom of the NHL with just 2.2 goals per game this season.
“I think it’s a different night, same result kind of thing,” Alexandre Carrier said after Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. “We’re trying to produce more offense. We’re trying, but I think we’ve got to get a bit more greasy in front of their net.”
During their losing streak, key offseason signings Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault have only scored one combined goal.
The Predators played without Ryan O’Reilly for the first time on Thursday. O’Reilly, their third-highest scorer, is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Saturday’s game will wrap up a four-game trip for the Predators, who have struggled on the road, with just two wins away from home (2-8-4).
Despite a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games, the Senators are feeling positive after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 at home on Thursday.
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
The game was heading to overtime before Josh Norris scored his second goal of the game with 43 seconds left to win it.
Ottawa’s coach, Travis Green, praised his team after the important win.
“Every once in a while, you play a game in the middle of the season or whatever that you can tag as a big game,” Green said. “And you know it’s obviously a division rival, a team we’re behind, and a team you want to get two points against. I thought we deserved to win tonight and especially how the first two periods went.”
Ottawa’s lead disappeared when former Senator Alex DeBrincat scored a four-on-three power-play goal early in the third period.
“We saw some important character there in the end when we had a lot of momentum most of the game, and then they tied it up,” Nick Jensen said. “And we saw in the past where that kind of takes a lot of air out of our tires a little bit, but it didn’t really change how we played, and I think we got rewarded for that.”
The Senators are in the middle of a four-game homestand.
Special teams might be a big factor in the game since both teams have been giving up goals on the penalty kill. Even though the Predators have an 87.5 percent penalty-kill rate for the season, they have allowed a power-play goal in four straight games. The Senators have given up a shorthanded goal in six consecutive games.
Josh Norris scored his second goal of the game with just 42 seconds left, giving the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
Norris, who grew up in Oxford, Michigan, and played at the University of Michigan, beat Red Wings goalie Ville Husso with a wrist shot from the high slot during a fast break. This was Norris’ 11th goal of the season.
Drake Batherson had two assists, and Linus Ullmark made 19 saves for Ottawa, which ended a two-game losing streak.
Alex DeBrincat scored the only goal for Detroit, and Husso stopped 30 shots. The Red Wings lost their fourth straight game.
DeBrincat’s 4-on-3 power-play goal tied the game 1-1 at 6:15 of the third period. He fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off a pass from J.T. Compher, beating Ullmark for his 11th goal of the season.
Norris had given the Senators a 1-0 lead with 7:46 left in the first period. He backhanded his own rebound into the net after a turnover by the Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond in Detroit’s zone.
Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings
Ottawa seemed to take a 2-0 lead 4:29 into the second period. However, Batherson’s apparent power-play goal, which was a tap-in off a rebound from the backboards, was called off after Detroit challenged the play for being offside.
Detroit didn’t get many chances in the first two periods, and missed a good opportunity when captain Dylan Larkin had a breakaway with 7:41 left in the second. However, the puck slipped off Larkin’s stick as he tried to shoot from the slot.
Ottawa had a 27-12 shot advantage after two periods.
The Senators outshot Detroit 14-8 in the first period. The Red Wings didn’t get their first shot until 6:20 into the game, which came from defenseman Simon Edvinsson. By that time, Ottawa had already taken six shots.
The Detroit Red Wings, who have been struggling lately, will face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
The Red Wings are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games, while the Senators have a 3-5-2 record during the same stretch.
Detroit lost 3-2 in overtime to Boston on Tuesday. This was their second consecutive overtime loss and their fifth straight loss by one goal. The Red Wings were leading 2-1 in the third period, but Justin Brazeau scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 9:32. Pavel Zacha then scored the game-winning goal just 2:15 into overtime.
The Red Wings’ penalty kill has been a major problem this season. With a success rate of 65.3%, they have the worst penalty kill in the NHL and are on track to break the all-time record for the worst penalty-killing rate, set by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1979-80 season at 68.2%.
“Sometimes you just got to find a way, really,” said Detroit penalty killer Tyler Motte. “That’s what killing is all about. Finding a way to get clears, get blocks.”
Lucas Raymond scored both of the Red Wings’ goals in the loss.
“It’s frustrating because we are doing a lot of good things,” said Detroit coach Derek Lalonde about the team’s recent performance. “We keep (getting points), again that’s points in six of the last eight (games). It’s a pretty good pace, but I think there are stretches in our game that we play really well, and you got to want it more, but we self-inflict (mistakes).”
Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks
The Senators are coming off a three-day break after losing in a shootout 4-3 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday. That loss completed a three-game road trip through California, where Ottawa went 1-1-1.
Captain Brady Tkachuk scored two goals in the loss to Anaheim.
“At this point, all we care about is winning and whatever it takes to win,” Tkachuk said. “We have full belief in this group that things are going to turn for us, and it’s just time to dig in and dig deep. The answer’s in that room and we’re going to find it and be the best versions of ourselves when we do.”
Ottawa had been trailing by a goal and fought back to tie the game three times in regulation.
“I’m really happy with how we responded from the adversity throughout the game,” said goaltender Linus Ullmark, who made 31 saves. “We didn’t break, we bent, and we came back and we played a really good game, and we finished off on a good note. I think we can bring this with us into our next game.”
Red Wings forward Patrick Kane has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury, and it is unclear if he will play on Thursday.
Detroit is also missing its top two goalies. Cam Talbot is out with a lower-body injury, and Alex Lyon is on the injured list with an undisclosed injury. Ville Husso made 32 saves on Tuesday, and Sebastian Cossa, who was recently called up from the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, was his backup.
The Anaheim Ducks have won only one of their last four games as they get ready to play against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
That’s the negative side.
However, the Ducks see it more positively, considering they are 5-3-1 in their last nine games. They also feel their recent loss wasn’t so bad because they played well against their biggest rivals.
As the Ducks prepare for the Senators, they are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, which started their four-game homestand. The Ducks were leading in the game at one point, but couldn’t hold off the Kings, despite outshooting them 31-18, including 12-4 in the third period.
“We had the puck maybe more than we have had in the past against these guys,” Ducks forward Ryan Strome said. “In the past, I feel like we have been on our heels and they kind of come in waves at us. … We were kind of pushing the pace on them.”
The Ducks are not likely to make the playoffs but have shown signs of improvement, especially on defense. The team has struggled with allowing goals in the last two seasons, finishing in the bottom three, but their defense has been much stronger recently. The Ducks are now ranked 10th in goals-against and have been perfect on the penalty kill in their last six games.
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
“The last 10 or 11 games we haven’t had too many stinkers,” coach Greg Cronin said. “We had some, maybe, periods that were off, but I think for the most part we’ve played really well as a group.”
The Senators arrive in Anaheim after losing 5-2 to the Kings on Saturday, ending their short two-game winning streak, which followed a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
“I like that we play (Sunday) night. When you play a game that stings a little bit, you don’t like to sit around and wait,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said.
The Senators desperately need a winning streak to get back into playoff contention. They had a chance to win against the Kings when they were leading 2-1 early in the second period, but then they gave up four unanswered goals.
“It’s frustrating,” defenseman Travis Hamonic said. “We felt at parts we played a really good game. But we’ve got to turn the page.”
Green believes his team played better against the Kings than in their win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, which started their three-game road trip. But some defensive mistakes cost them the game.
“It should sting,” Green said. “I’m pretty open and honest with our team after the game, and my assessment was … we played hard enough to get a point or get a win, but we made a couple mistakes that I don’t think were from them earning the goal.”
There is some good news for the Senators. Tim Stutzle scored a goal, extending his point streak to six games with three goals and five assists. Adam Gaudette has also scored in three straight games and has already matched his career-high with 12 goals.
But despite these individual streaks, the team needs to win to be successful.
“It’s the unfortunate reality that we have to get that angry with losing that things will change,” captain Brady Tkachuk said. “To be able to move on and focus on the task at hand is a good opportunity for us. It’s an opportunity to finish the road trip off right.”
Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle celebrates after a goal
Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk each had a goal and an assist, and Cole Reinhardt scored his first NHL goal as the Ottawa Senators ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday.
Adam Gaudette also scored for Ottawa, while Ridly Greig and Jake Sanderson each had two assists. Goaltender Anton Forsberg made 24 saves in the victory.
For Calgary, Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich, and Mikael Backlund scored goals. Goalie Dustin Wolf made 26 saves in his team’s first game of a four-game road trip. The Flames, usually disciplined, ended up shorthanded nine times in the game.
The Flames took the lead when Huberdeau scored on the power play at 14:32 in the first period. Gaudette answered for Ottawa at 17:05 with his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Greig.
Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames
Batherson put the Senators ahead early in the second period, deflecting a shot from Sanderson on the power play at 3:18 for his ninth goal of the season.
Reinhardt scored his first career goal at 13:17 of the second period, jumping on a loose puck during a scramble in front of the net.
Sharangovich cut the lead to 3-2 just over two minutes later with his fifth goal of the season, but Tkachuk answered with a power-play goal 74 seconds into the third period to give Ottawa a 4-2 lead. Tkachuk’s 11th goal of the season came from a shot in the slot.
Backlund scored with 39 seconds left to make it 4-3, but it was too late for the Flames to make a full comeback.
