Batherson's hat trick leads Senators past Rangers in high-scoring affair
Drake Batherson scored three goals and added an assist as Ottawa held off a late push from New York.
OTTAWA · The Ottawa Senators survived a late push from the New York Rangers to earn a 7-4 victory at home on Saturday night. Drake Batherson led the way with three goals and an assist, while Jake Sanderson scored his first of the season for the winner. The Senators built an early lead but needed a third-period insurance goal from Michael Amadio to secure the win. Batherson opened the scoring in the first period, taking a pass from Sanderson at the side of the net and wristing it past Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand. Just over a minute later, Claude Giroux snagged a turnover and found Fabian Zetterlund, who dished to Tim Stutzle on the rush for a 2-0 Ottawa lead. Batherson extended the advantage to 3-0 early in the second, settling a rebound and beating Garand from in close.
The Rangers responded with a short-handed goal off a Dylan Cozens turnover, as Noah Laba poked the puck ahead to send Will Cuylle in alone to beat Senators debutant Jonas Johansson. Cozens atoned just over a minute later when a Batherson shot deflected off his skate for his first of the season. New York then scored twice late in the period, with J.T. Miller finding a loose puck and Alexis Lafreniere burying a pass from Miller with 26 seconds left, pulling the Rangers within one at 4-3. Sanderson's first of the season proved crucial in the third. Garand made an initial save on Ridly Greig, but Sanderson buried the rebound to make it 5-3. The Rangers got back within one on a Pavel Dorofeyev snap shot with 4:28 remaining. Amadio sealed the win with an empty-net goal for the Senators, who were outshot 27-25.
Johansson stopped 23 of 27 shots in his first game for Ottawa. Garand, making his seventh consecutive start, stopped 18 shots for New York. The Senators' power play went 0-for-3 despite Sanderson's return from injury. Ottawa owns a 24-9-1 record when both Batherson and Stutzle score in the same game. The Rangers dominated play in the offensive zone for long periods of time in the third period. Up next: The Rangers host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. The Senators visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
With files from The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail and Sportsnet