OTTAWA, Ontario – In an exciting encounter on Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks triumphed over the Ottawa Senators with a close score of 4-3. Jake DeBrusk was a standout player for the Canucks, contributing significantly with two goals and an assist. Kiefer Sherwood also made his mark by securing a goal and an assist, while Teddy Blueger added another goal. Elias Pettersson was instrumental as well, providing two assists throughout the game.
Vancouver’s goaltender, Kevin Lankinen, showcased an impressive performance, turning aside 26 shots. Unfortunately for Ottawa, this defeat marked their fifth straight loss. Claude Giroux managed to have a productive night with a goal and an assist, while teammates Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle each found the back of the net.
Sherwood’s rapid-fire goal in the third period, his sixth of the season, put Vancouver ahead with a commanding 4-1 lead just under nine minutes into the final frame. However, the Senators responded with vigor as Giroux netted a power-play goal at the 16:29 mark, and Stutzle chipped in to narrow the margin to 4-3 with only 44 seconds remaining. Despite their late surge, Ottawa was unable to finalize their comeback.
The Canucks had to proceed without defenseman Quinn Hughes for a considerable part of the match as he received a major penalty for boarding and a subsequent game misconduct for hitting Josh Norris, who suffered a facial injury as a result.
In the Senators’ goal, Linus Ullmark recorded 17 saves in his efforts. Tensions ran high for Tkachuk in the third period, where he incurred multiple penalties, including cross-checking and fighting, ultimately leading to a game misconduct with just over six minutes left on the clock.
Looking at the takeaways from the game, the Canucks struggled with their special teams, managing to score only once on six power plays, while the Senators capitalized on two of their three opportunities. This game also highlighted the Senators’ difficulties when surrendering the first goal, falling to a record of 1-10-1 under those circumstances.
A key moment came when Ottawa failed to capitalize on a five-minute power play in the first period while Hughes was serving his major penalty for boarding, which could have changed the dynamics of the game.
Statistically, this victory extended Vancouver’s dominance over Ottawa, marking the fifth consecutive loss for the Senators against the Canucks, with the latter scoring four or more goals in each of those matches.
Looking ahead, the Canucks are set to face the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, while the Senators will host the Calgary Flames on Monday.