Senators defeat Devils 4-1 for fifth win in six games
Linus Ullmark made 29 saves and Ottawa overcame the loss of another defenceman to injury.
NEWARK · The Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Monday night for their fifth win in six games to start the season. Tim Stützle had a goal and an assist, while Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday also scored. Linus Ullmark stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced, allowing only a goal to Arseny Gritsyuk with five minutes left. The Senators have succeeded despite missing several key players to injuries and a tumultuous summer that included trading captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida.
Their depth took another hit when defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo was injured in the first period. Matinpalo went head first into the boards when he was boarded by New Jersey's Anthony Mantha. He received medical attention and did not return, ruled out with what the team called an "upper-body injury." Ottawa was already thin on defence with Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub sidelined, and forward William Eklund is out for an extended period with an injured left ankle, coach Travis Green said.
The breakthrough came nine seconds into the second period when Pinto scored his first goal of the season, beating Nico Daws off the rush. Halliday scored on the power play midway through the second when he was left open in front. "Green's team has made up for those absences with timely scoring and fast-paced play," the team said. In other NHL action, Noah Ostlund scored the go-ahead goal on the power play in the third period as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Florida Panthers 5-3. The game saw both teams lose key players, as Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin left with an upper-body injury and Panthers starting goalie Jacob Markstrom did not return after the first period. Brady Tkachuk got his first point with the Panthers, assisting on a Sam Reinhart goal.
The Minnesota Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2, powered by a strong special teams performance. Max Shabanov, Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov scored in the first period. The Wild killed all five penalties against them and have the best penalty kill rate in the NHL at 21 for 22 this season. Their power play also leads the league.
With files from Yahoo Sports and Castanet