Senators end 6-game losing streak with 5-4 OT win over Penguins

Tim Stutzle scored 70 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Erik Brannstrom and Jakob Chychrun also scored for Ottawa, which won its first game during Jacques Martin’s second stint as coach. Anton Forsberg made 30 saves.

Stutzle's winner was his first goal in seven games.

“Just go five hole,” said Stutzle when asked what he was thinking. “Every time I used to do that I scored. I don’t know why I kept not doing it, so I’ll just go back to what I was doing.”

Martin took over behind the bench on an interim basis when the Senators fired D.J. Smith on Monday. He also coached the team for nine seasons from 1995-96 through 2003-04. Hall of Famer and former captain Daniel Alfredsson was added to the staff as an assistant.

Tkachuk admitted he felt like a weight had been lifted after Stutzle scored.

“It was a huge relief and just an awesome feeling,” Tkachuk said. “(Anton) Forsberg made some huge saves to keep us in it so it’s a huge relief and to get Jacques his first win, for part two with us, and Alfie’s (Daniel Alfredsson) first official coaching win so it’s a good feeling.”

In a strange twist of fate Martin picked up his first win against not only his former team, but the team he faced the first time he stood behind the Senators’ bench.

On Jan. 24, 1996, the Penguins beat the Senators 4-3.

“Somebody told me today my first game of coaching was against Pittsburgh and we didn’t win, but I remember it clearly though,” said Martin. “I think we’re progressing and it was nice to get the reward.”

Lars Eller, Rickard Rakell, Drew O’Connor and Kris Letang scored for the Penguins while Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 21 shots.

Trailing 4-2 to start the third, the Penguins made it a one-goal game just 1:51 into the period when O’Connor deflected Marcus Petersson's point shot. Letang tied the game with 2:26 remaining.

“I thought we raised our level of urgency and we raised our level of execution (in the third),” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

He added: “There was no flow in the game in the first 40. I thought we competed hard in the third.”

Leading 2-1, Ottawa extended its lead early in the second when Claude Giroux made a great pass through traffic to a streaking Tkachuk, who tipped home his 15th of the season.

Pittsburgh made it a one-goal game when Rakell tipped home Sidney Crosby's pass, but Ottawa padded its lead on Brannstrom’s second of the season at 7:30. The goal required a lengthy review, but stood.

The Senators got the start they were looking for, jumping out to a 2-1 lead in the first period.

Chychrun opened the scoring, sliding on one knee to score on the rebound of Giroux's shot at 11:07. The Penguins tied the game with a power-play goal at 14:31 when Eller beat Forsberg short side. Ottawa regained the lead 30 seconds later when Norris batted a shot past Nedeljkovic.

UP NEXT

Senators: Take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday.

Penguins: Play at the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

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