OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Andrew Hammond kept Ottawa afloat during a rocky second period, and the Senators skaters took advantage.
Bobby Ryan and Chris Wideman had power-play goals, Erik Karlsson also scored and the Senators beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Thursday night.
Andrew Hammond made 33 saves to help Ottawa snap a two-game losing streak and get its first regulation win on home ice this season.
Hammond was outstanding during the second period to pick up his struggling teammates. The Senators were outshot 19-8, but came out of the frame with a 2-1 lead.
”Second period they were really pushing hard and they were creating a lot of good scoring chances,” Karlsson said. ”(Hammond) made some good key saves for us and not that we expect that from him every night, but he’s been playing really good for us, same as (Craig Anderson), and that’s what you’re going to need sometimes when you play other good teams.”
Sven Baertschi and Alexander Edler scored and Ryan Miller made 22 saves for Vancouver. The Canucks were playing the fourth of a seven-game road trip.
Miller took responsibility for the loss, and was particularly troubled by Wideman’s wrister with 1:55 left that made it 3-1. The cushion proved pivotal for the Senators after Edler scored with 23.9 seconds remaining.
”I let the guys down with that last one,” Miller said. ”You’ve always got to stay within striking distance and I just kind of blew it. That’s more the difference. You always have to have a chance at the end and maybe get to overtime. It’s a pretty critical error on my part.
”Not a good goal.”
Miller said he saw the shot, but that it hit the top part of the pocket on his glove hand.
”That game’s right there,” Miller said. ”I thought we played a good game. I kind of blew it.”
The Senators had one of their better third periods of late and were able to hold off the Canucks in front of a sellout crowd of 19,229.
”I thought we played real well in the first and then had a letdown in the second and gave up too many opportunities,” Kyle Turris said. ”We came back with a strong third and I thought we played pretty well.”
Karlsson put the Senators ahead 2-1 with 6 minutes left in the second period by jumping into a play and beat Miller through the legs.
Vancouver opened the scoring at 7:48 on a puck that bounced off Baertschi’s skate. Ryan tied it midway through the period with his sixth of the season.
Notes: D Patrick Wiercioch and LW Shane Prince were healthy scratches for Ottawa. … The Senators announced D Chris Phillips (back) has started skating and LW Clarke MacArthur (concussion) has started working out. There remains no timetable for either’s return. … The Canucks continue their road trip against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. … The Senators host the Rangers on Saturday.
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