Stützle scores in final seconds of OT, leading Senators past Red Wings 5-4 in Global Series opener

STOCKHOLM -- — Tim Stützle scored with two seconds left in overtime as the Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Thursday in the opening game of the NHL's Global Series in Sweden.

Stützle batted the puck out of the air off a crossing pass from Drake Batherson that hit the stick of Detroit defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and beat goalie James Reimer just before the horn sounded as Ottawa earned the victory after squandering a four-goal lead.

“I never really played (baseball) growing up,” Stützle, a German national, said. “I think it was pretty lucky, I knew we didn’t have a lot of time there left, and I just tried to get it on the net. It was a great play there by Drake to get it to me.”

Brady Tkachuk had two goals — both set up by Stützle — and Josh Norris added a goal and an assist for Ottawa. Jake Sanderson also scored. Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves.

Gostisbehere had a goal and an assist, and Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and David Perron added goals for Detroit (8-5-3). J.T. Compher and Olli Maatta each had two assists. Reimer stopped 29 shots, and the Red Wings finished with a 41-34 edge in shots.

The game was the first of four over four days in the Swedish capital as part of the Global Series. The Senators, Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs are involved in the first such series outside North America. It marks the NHL's return to Sweden for the first time since before the pandemic.

Stützle's winner was his fourth goal of the season. He leads the Senators with 20 points.

Tkachuk put the Senators ahead 1-0 just 5:57 into the game on a power play, tipping in a shot by Drake Batherson. He doubled the lead midway through the opening period, knocking in a cross-ice, backhand pass from Stützle for his 10th goal of the season.

Sanderson scored on a one-timer from the slot for the third goal with 6:51 remaining.

The Red Wings were trailing 4-0 when Norris beat Reimer 1:18 into the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Raymond scored unassisted on a wrist shot 9:39 into the period, putting the Red Wings on board with his sixth goal.

At 13:20, Perron scored when a shot by Maatta hit the forward and deflected into the net over Korpisalo.

DeBrincat scored his 11th of the season from the left circle to pull the Red Wings within one off a pass from Gostisbehere with 3:27 to go. Gostisbehere then tied it at 4-all with 2:48 remaining in the second.

“Obviously when you’re down four goals and you get a point, we’ll take the point,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “It just feels like how well we were playing 5-on-5, we could have got more tonight.”

With the game tied at 4 early in the third period, the Senators failed to score when they had 39 seconds of a two-man advantage.

Detroit captain Dylan Larkin played his 600th game as the Red Wings are still trying for a regular-season victory overseas. Previously, they recorded losses to the St. Louis Blues in 2009 in Stockholm.

“We thought we gave them too much in the first period,” Larkin said. “We took a retaliatory penalty and then we missed two assignments on the 4-on-4 and the Tkachuk second goal. That was a tough start, a tough three plays after we had a good start.”

The Senators are in Sweden for the third time after sweeping a two-game series against the Colorado Avalanche in 2017, and splitting another against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008, also in Stockholm.

Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said he hoped the trip would help his struggling team turn things around after the Senators were 3-6-0 in their previous nine games and last in the Atlantic Division.

“I thought we scored easy. We put it in the net. But I don’t think it was indicative maybe of the play, and that kind of lulled us to sleep," D.J. Smith said after the game. ""We didn’t forecheck in the second period. We looked like we just wanted to hang on to it and kill the clock, and clearly we got burned. But I’m proud of the guys, between periods, to regroup, come back out and stick with it.”

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Face the Maple Leafs on Friday in Stockholm.

Senators: Face the Wild on Saturday in Stockholm.

------

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL