Senators Overcome Bruins in Thrilling 6-5 Shootout Victory

The Ottawa Senators staged an impressive comeback against the Boston Bruins, earning a dramatic 6-5 victory in a shootout on Saturday afternoon. Tim Stutzle scored the decisive goal in the shootout, and Leevi Merilainen showcased his skills as a goaltender by stopping all three Bruins players who faced him during the shootout, making a total of 23 saves in the game.

With just over three minutes left in the third period, the Senators scored twice to equalize and push the game into overtime. Josh Norris netted his second goal of the match with only 12 seconds remaining and is benefitted by Nick Jensen's earlier goal, which had pulled the Senators within one point before that crucial equalizer.

The Bruins, initially leading with a score of 4-3 thanks to Vinni Lettieri's first goal of the season, saw Morgan Geekie score early in the second period to give them a brief 3-2 advantage. Although Ottawa had jumped to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Adam Gaudette and Stutzle, the Bruins managed to tie the game at 2-2 by the end of the first period with quick goals from Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak.

In addition to Kastelic's return to the Bruins lineup after an injury layoff, Thomas Chabot made a comeback for the Senators, sporting a full visor after a previous injury. Norris’s power-play goal was particularly significant as it marked the Senators' first successful power play in four games, breaking a dismal streak of seven unsuccessful attempts in their prior outings.

Despite falling behind, Ottawa has struggled historically when trailing entering the final period, with a record of 1-15-0 in such situations. The Senators will next take on the New Jersey Devils in an upcoming game on Sunday, looking to build on this thrilling victory.