Devils deliver difficult loss to Senators in an entertaining show


The dream of an Eastern Conference playoff spot isn’t altogether over yet, but every lost point is crucial.

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Devils 5, Senators 3

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The Ottawa Senators staged one impressive rally Saturday night.

Ultimately, though, they couldn’t deliver a second, suffering a crucial 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.

Dougie Hamilton scored the winner 3:34 into third period, banking a shot off Senators goaltender Dylan Ferguson, who had been bidding to add a second chapter to the compelling story he wrote earlier in the week.

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The decisive third period was an entertaining treat, full of back and forth, end to end rushes featuring some of the National Hockey League’s best young talent. The Senators came close to tying the game on several occasions, but Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood had the answers to stop Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto in close. Julien Gauthier, who was staring at an empty net earlier in the period, was also shaking his head about what might have been.

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Tomas Tatar finally salted the game away, scoring into an empty net with 42 seconds remaining on the clock.

The dream of an Eastern Conference playoff spot isn’t altogether over yet for the Senators, but, with only nine games remaining in the quest to climb into a wild-card spot, every lost point is crucial. Next up for them in the endless stream of pivotal games is Monday’s contest against the Florida Panthers at Canadian Tire Centre.

Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot and Mark Kastelic scored for the Senators, while Ferguson faced 35 shots.

Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier scored the other Devils goals, while Blackwood stopped 25 Senators shots.

It was either team’s game going into the decisive third period.

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The Devils appeared on the verge of taking over the game with goals from Bratt and Hischier in a 69-second span early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead — off giveaways from Nick Holden and Tim Stutzle, respectively — but the Senators staged an impressive rally.

After an Alex DeBrincat power-play goal was taken off the board because video replay determined the play entering the zone had been off-side, Chabot made it 3-2 just as the penalty expired. With 3:57 remaining, Kastelic tipped the puck past Blackwood to deadlock the game 3-3. That goal broke a 17-game goal drought for Kastelic, dating back to Jan. 12, and set the stage for a compelling finish.

Players get into a scrum near the Senators and Devils benches in the first period.
Players get into a scrum near the Senators and Devils benches in the first period. Photo by Sarah Stier /Getty Images

While the Devils officially clinched a playoff spot because of a loss by the Florida Panthers earlier in the day, the Senators need every possible point to stay in the chase for a wild-card spot. They entered the night five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final position; the Penguins played later Saturday against the Washington Capitals.

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In an intriguing decision, Ferguson got the call to start in the Senators net. The author of a 48-save victory over the Peguins in his first NHL start on Monday at Pittsburgh, he was anxious for a second shot to see what he could do and got the nod over Mads Sogaard, who had picked up the victory in the 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Thursday.

The push for the playoffs will be that much harder, though. The Senators announced earlier Saturday that defenceman Jakob Chychrun and centre Ridly Greig were out with injuries. Holden and Julien Gauthier took their spots in the lineup against the Devils.

The focus for the Senators was to eliminate freebies against the Devils, whose speed makes them sensational counter-punchers.

Tkachuk established his presence early, opening the scoring with a sharp angle shot against Blackwood. Tkachuk also had a fight and a charging minor in the opening 11 minutes.

Hughes tied the 1-1 game with a sensational end-to-end rush, capping the play by tucking the puck between Ferguson’s legs.

Then came the back and forth, four-goal second period.

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Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren

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