OTTAWA, Ontario — The Ottawa Senators triumphed over the Boston Bruins with a thrilling 6-5 shootout victory on Saturday evening.
Tim Stutzle played a pivotal role, scoring during the shootout, while Leevi Merilainen showcased his skills in goal, stopping all three Bruins attempts after making 23 saves throughout the game, including both regulation and overtime.
Josh Norris was standout performer for Ottawa, netting two goals, while Stutzle contributed a goal and an assist during regulation play. The Senators also saw scoring from Nick Jensen and Adam Gaudette.
The Bruins, who had recently snapped a six-game losing streak with two consecutive wins, were led by David Pastrnak, who recorded a goal and two assists. Both Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha also added a goal and an assist each to the Bruins’ effort.
Ottawa staged an impressive comeback, scoring twice in the closing 3:13 of the third period to force the game into overtime. Norris’s 17th goal of the season came just 12 seconds before the end of regulation, leveling the game at five goals.
Earlier, Boston had taken a 5-3 advantage following Vinni Lettieri’s first goal of the season, which came 11:23 into the final period.
Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made 39 saves during the contest. Mark Kastelic made his return to the Boston lineup after being sidelined for four games due to a concussion, marking his first appearance in Ottawa since his trade from the Senators to the Bruins in June. Additionally, Thomas Chabot was back in action for Ottawa, sporting a full visor after taking a puck to the face in a recent game.
Key takeaways from the match included Norris’s power-play goal in the second, which broke a four-game drought for Ottawa in man-advantage situations; prior to this game, the Senators had gone 0 for 7 in power play opportunities over their last three contests. Meanwhile, Mason Lohrei contributed two assists for the Bruins.
A noteworthy moment occurred when Chabot’s shot late in the second period deflected off Drake Batherson’s skate, narrowly evading the goal as it hit the inside of the post and stayed out.
In terms of special teams, Boston converted 1 of 4 power plays, while Ottawa managed to score once on 3 opportunities.
Looking ahead, the Bruins will return to their home ice to face the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, while the Senators will head to New Jersey to take on the Devils on Sunday.
