PHILADELPHIA — Tim Stutzle scored 3:19 into overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Stutzle also scored in regulation for the Senators, who managed to hang on for the win after nearly squandering a two-goal lead.
The Senators jumped out to an early lead in the first period, capitalizing on a sluggish start by the Flyers. Stutzle opened the scoring at 5:14 of the first period with a one-timer from the right circle, assisted by David Perron and Ridly Greig. Just over a minute later, at 6:19, Michael Amadio extended Ottawa's lead to 2-0. Amadio took a pass from former Flyer Claude Giroux and slipped it past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson. Giroux, playing against his former team, recorded his 13th point in 11 games against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia responded in the second period when Matvei Michkov scored at 11:23, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Michkov spun away from Ottawa defender Jake Sanderson and beat Senators goalie Linus Ullmark. Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny assisted on the play.
The Flyers continued to press in the third period and eventually tied the game at the midway point. Jamie Drysdale scored off a rebound from a Trevor Zegras shot at 10:05 of the third. The puck deflected off Dvorak before reaching Drysdale.
Despite the Flyers' comeback, the Senators ultimately prevailed in overtime. Drake Batherson delivered a perfect pass to Stutzle, who redirected the puck past Ersson for the game-winning goal at 3:19 of OT. Thomas Chabot also assisted on the play.
Ullmark made 20 saves for the Senators, while Ersson stopped 10 shots for the Flyers. The Senators improved to 7-5-3, while the Flyers fell to 8-5-2.
The Senators struggled to generate shots in the latter stages of the game, failing to record a shot in the third period until late in the frame. Ottawa's first shot of the third period came with just 1:26 remaining. They went without a shot from 2:43 remaining in the second period until Dylan Cozens' attempt with 1:26 left in the third.
The Senators blocked 17 shots in the game. Both teams had double-digit giveaways, with Ottawa finishing with 16 and Philadelphia with 13.
The Senators next face the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night, while the Flyers will host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
