The Ottawa Senators are the most popular crew within the league heading into their last recreation earlier than the NHL’s vacation break on Sunday on the defending Western Convention champion Edmonton Oilers.
The Senators gained their sixth straight recreation on Saturday, a 5-4 resolution in extra time at Vancouver to enhance to 8-1-0 of their final 9 video games. Additionally they moved into the Jap Convention’s last wild-card spot with 38 factors.
It marks the primary time since March 2-11, 2017 that Ottawa has gained six in a row. Not so coincidentally, that is additionally the final season that the Senators certified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Jake Sanderson scored 15 seconds into extra time to maintain the successful streak alive and cap a three-point night time that additionally included two assists. Shane Pinto scored two objectives and had an help, and Leevi Merilainen made 21 saves for his first profession NHL win for the Senators.
Ottawa gained regardless of squandering three leads within the contest, the ultimate one on a Brock Boeser purpose with 4:50 remaining within the third interval to drive extra time.
“We have been very resilient,” Sanderson mentioned. “We caught to our weapons and received the job accomplished.”
Sanderson broke down the left wing, took a move from Tim Stutzle after which minimize in and beat Kevin Lankinen between the pads for the game-winning purpose.
“A gutsy win on our behalf and we’ll hold it rolling,” Sanderson mentioned.
“It is good once you win, it is good once you get on a roll and begin to really feel good,” Ottawa coach Travis Inexperienced mentioned. “However it’s a must to reset each recreation. We did not like our recreation final recreation (a 3-2 extra time win at Calgary on Thursday). We challenged our group to reply tonight. Actual business-like efficiency by our group right now.”
Now the Senators should rapidly reset in lower than 24 hours for a recreation in opposition to an Edmonton crew that’s 10-2-0 over its final 12 video games.
The Oilers recorded their second straight 3-2 extra time victory on Saturday, courtesy of Leon Draisaitl’s purpose 18 seconds into the additional session versus the San Jose Sharks.
Draisaitl, who leads the NHL with 24 objectives, scored his game-winner after Mattias Ekholm tied it with simply 18 seconds left in regulation.
“They’re at all times thrilling and enjoyable in the event that they go your method,” Draisaitl mentioned of scoring his seventeenth profession extra time winner, a franchise report. “I believe we have accomplished job the final two nights of discovering a strategy to shut out a recreation. … You do not need to do that each night time, however typically you want these.”
Edmonton additionally wanted extra time to defeat the Boston Bruins, 3-2, on Thursday on an Ekholm purpose.
The Oilers have snatched 14 of a potential 16 factors over their final eight video games, dropping solely to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers throughout that span. After Sunday’s contest with the Senators, the Oilers will go to southern California for a weekend back-to-back in opposition to Los Angeles and Anaheim. Edmonton is one level behind the second-place Kings within the Pacific Division standings.
“Each level’s necessary, each recreation’s necessary,” middle Connor McDavid mentioned. “The playoff race, the positioning race is at all times so tight, each level issues. Even the factors in December, these depend, too. So, these are video games we’ll should be up for and able to take care enterprise.”
–Area Stage Media