Goaltender Linus Ullmark made 24 saves en route to an Ottawa Senators 4-0 shutout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Except for a couple of brief Penguins flurries of which Ullmark stood tall, the Senators may have played their most complete game of the season from start to finish.
Brady Tkachuk opened and closed out the Senators scoring, notching his first of two on the power play only 2:16 in. One the hottest Senators, Drake Batherson threaded a pass to Tkachuk on the doorstep. Batherson then picked up a secondary helper, his eighth point (three goals, five assists) in four games as defenseman Jordan Spence tossed the puck towards the net which glanced off David Perron’s stick for a milestone marker.
Claude Giroux gave his team a 3-0 lead in the second period, spinning and shooting the puck through Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs. It was Giroux’s 22nd goal and 77th point versus his rival Sidney Crosby in 71 games played versus Pittsburgh over his career.
The Senators captain launched a shot into an empty net with 6:05 remaining, his third goal in two games after recording only one in his previous 11 outings. The goal was an odd one as Silovs was heading to the bench in exchange for a sixth attacker. However, there was miscommunication between head coach Dan Muse and the goalie.
Senators complete game
The Senators were ready right from LPGA golfer Brooke Henderson’s ceremonial puck-drop. Minus a late first period Penguins power play and a Pittsburgh push in the third, the Senators can stake claim to a solid 60-minute effort.
After losing six of eight, the club is now victorious in three of four games. For Linus Ullmark, it was his first shutout of the 2025-26 campaign, 14th of NHL career, and third straight win.
The Senators backstop described his team’s play as a “fantastic, 60-minute game.” Ullmark noted, “It’s been something that we’ve been talking a lot about these last couple of weeks. We haven’t been successful in them, but we’ve managed to win some games, and we have played good hockey.“
An impressed Ullmark added, “I mean, the guys are hounding pucks down low. They’re getting it deep. They stay patient. They don’t get frustrated. You know, it’s easy there in the second as well, when their goalie is doing a terrific job of keeping them in it. And I mean, it could have been five, six, seven goals against there with the way that we were playing and the opportunities that we got. But then in the third, we said before going in there, that we’ve got to figure it out how to play with the lead and play these last 20 minutes in a good way, and don’t let up. And, you know, keep our composure and don’t cheat the game.”
As well as the Senators played, Tkachuk gave full credit to his goaltender for the win, “It starts with Linus back there, making some huge saves at big time moments. And, you know, there’s a couple Grade A’s they had at the end of the first that it’s a different game, 1-1 going to the second, so he played amazing. I think everybody just is really focused right now.”
Special Teams Improving
With the Senators power play scoring once in three opportunities, the unit is responsible for 10 goals over their past seven games, playing at a 40% clip (10 for 25). The Senators PP is currently tied for the NHL’s fourth-best with the Boston Bruins (25.7%)
Likewise, the Senators penalty kill while mired as league’s second-worst, is displaying signs of improvement, killing off 12 of their past 14 penalties.
https://hockeyhotstove.com/category/bloggers/murray-pam
Milestone night
It was a milestone evening for a pair of Senators’ players.
David Perron registered his 800th career regular season point with a goal. Playing in his 19th NHL season, a former teammate of Brady Tkachuk’s dad, Keith with the St. Louis Blues, the 37-year old is a beloved leader on the squad.
“Happy for him. You know, anytime a player hits a milestone, it’s just an example of how long he’s been in the league. It’s not easy to get to 800 points, so good for him.” said Senators head coach Travis Green.
Green added with a smile, Perron brings, “Professionalism, also a voice in the room. He’s got a lot of energy. talks a lot, has
a lot of good things to say most of the time.”
While he didn’t score, Tim Stützle had two glorious dangerous opportunities in his 400th regular season game. The Senators third overall 2020 Entry Draft selection was tripped by Silovs as he went to deke the Penguins goalie early in the game. That Senators PP opened the game’s scoring in which the 23-year-old started the play with a pass to Batherson. Stützle’s assist extending his point streak to five games, giving him 10 points (four goals, six assists) over this period. Then on a second period PK, Stützle hit the post on a breakaway.
The Senators play back-to-back games this weekend with a Saturday afternoon home date with the Chicago Blackhawks and fly to Boston to meet the Bruins Sunday evening.
