The Ottawa Senators vaulted themselves back into a playoff spot with a 4-1 win over the Buffalo.
Former Sabres Linus Ullmark and Dylan Cozens played a large part in Ottawa’s victory. The Senators goalie made 21 saves, several of the spectacular variety. While Cozens got his team on the board, tying the game at one with 4:42 remaining in the second period.
The Senators spoiled the Sabres night who were the verge of clinching a postseason berth for the first time in 15 seasons had they won.
Game Summary
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring 8:49 into the middle frame with a wrister which beat Ullmark glove side through a maze of players.
Cozens notched his 26th marker, redirecting Brady Tkachuk’s pass to tie at one.
Lars Eller scored the Senators go-ahead goal 5:55 into the final perio , deflecting a point shot by Artem Zub.
Ridly Greig salted the game away after Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff lifted goaltender Uka-Pekka Luukkonen for a sixth attacker. It was Greig’s career 100th point.
Shane Pinto added a second empty-netter, reaching the 20th-goal plateau in back-to-back NHL campaigns.
Senators Ullmark stands tall
Linus Ullmark is 10-3-3, recording a 2.55 goals against average since returning from his leave of absence January 31.
On this night, the 32-year-old was the difference, especially in the second period where he made several key saves to keep the game close. Ullmark came charging out of his crease to challenge Sabres Bowen Byram as the period wound down.
“I saw it was a little bit time left, and he makes a pass up the d-man coming down Broadway, trying to do the hardest shot competition. So it was all about trying to shrink the net as much as possible, and just kind of fly out there. And he shot in a position or in a spot where I was able to make the save,” said the Senators’ netminder.
Head coach Travis Green noted, Ullmark “played square” and was “very focused.”
Brady Tkachuk praised his teammate stating, “He was amazing. I think that chance at the very end in the second period won us the game. I mean, just stood on his head all night, but that just gave us such a boost of energy. Had a little bit of a breakdown, just made unbelievable save. He got us the two points.”
Cozens makes his mark
The “Workhorse from Whitehorse” lived up to his moniker Thursday with a workmanlike performance. Cozens was a force on the ice, tallying his 26th goal of the season, posting a game high six shots on goal and a team high four hits.
The Senators’ captain was also impressed with the play of his linemate, “He’s lights out. I love playing with him, and he’s a sneaky horse out there, the way he skates and the way he protects pucks, wins battles. And I told him as a line, that I really wanted to show up for him tonight, because I know how important this game is for him. So he played great. I mean, scored a huge goal for us to get kind of momentum back on our side,” added Tkachuk.
For Cozens, not only was it satisfying to beat his former club, the win got his team closer to their goal of making the playoffs with each game more important than the previous one.
“Yeah, there’s been a lot recently, but this one seems like an extra playoff game there. So I know it was a great job by our group. It’s a really good team (Sabres). They’ve been playing great hockey. So for us to just dig in and grind one out there, I’m proud,” Cozens said postgame.
Kleven injured, Spence steps up
Already minus five defensemen including three Senators regulars, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Nick Jensen, Ottawa’s blue line took another hit after Tyler Kleven was felled a by a puck to the facial area. The burly d-man did not return, signalling possible bad news for the short term. Elevated to the Senators top d-pair alongside Zub since the Chabot was injured four games prior, Kleven played over 27 minutes in three of them, including a career high 28:11 versus Detroit March 24.
“Hoping for the best, but not expecting it to be great news,” though Green didn’t have an official update on the health of his blueliner.
Injuries to the Senators defense continue to mount, Ullmark suggests a spell was put on his team, but is also amazed how well defenders are playing in front of him.
“I don’t know what’s going on. Is there some voodoo going around with this team or something like that? It’s just so important. Soon as that happens, it’s like you have a that you have a sick feeling in your stomach as well. Like you can just tell that one hurt. I feel bad for him as well. He was a great player and all that. So this was a gutsy win for the five. We’re still in the game. They did a great job of defending together with our forward core. I think that we kind of deserved this one.“
With Kleven out, Jordan Spence who’s been elevated himself during this injury-riddled stretch played a career high 30:48, adding an assist to tie a high of 28 points and extended his streak to four games.
A healthy scratch at the start of this season, like others on him postgame, Ullmark threw praise towards Spence, “The beginning, maybe took a little time for him to get accustomed, but now you can really see what kind of a player he is, how poised he is with the puck, how he moves it, these sort of things, and playing lots of minutes. Now, it’s not easy to go in there and play all those minutes if you haven’t done that before. I think he’s doing a terrific job so far.”
It doesn’t get any easier for the Senators as they will play a back-to-back at home this weekend facing tough opponents. They meet the Minnesota Wild Saturday and the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes Sunday. There may be some good news on the horizon as Jake Sanderson may make his much-needed return to the lineup after missing 13 games.
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