Tkachuk, Senators recover to defeat Avalanche in OT

OTTAWA -- Brady Tkachuk scored 51 seconds into overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 6-5 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

Tkachuk scored with a snap shot on a breakaway for his second goal of the game. He also had an assist.
"I was just thinking, 'Don't toe-pick,'" Tkachuk said. "I was trying to get the getaway boots going there a little bit. But overall, just happy with the outcome. It was definitely an exciting win tonight."
Tim Stutzle
had two goals and an assist, and Anton Forsberg made 26 saves for the Senators (6-15-1), who have won two straight games for the first time this season. They won 3-2 at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
"It was a good effort by our team," said Tkachuk, the Ottawa captain. "That's a good team, and now we've had good efforts against two top teams. We've put in some great efforts, but I believe that we have more."
Alex Newhook had a goal and an assist, and Nathan MacKinnon had three assists for the Avalanche (12-7-2). Jonas Johansson allowed four goals on 15 shots before being replaced early in the second period by Justus Annunen, who made 17 saves in his first NHL game.
"We don't want to play that type of way against anybody," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said, "no matter where they are in the standings, knowing that the second half of the year and down the stretch and in the playoffs it's going to be 2-1 and 1-0 and 2-0 games in the playoffs. We know that we just can't be giving up that many goals."
Devon Toews scored with a slap shot from the point for the Avalanche to tie it 5-5 with 1:20 remaining.
"It's a big point," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "I don't love the game from us, but I love the resolve to stick with it and believe that we can come back and get the job done. It's not easy down three [goals] against anybody. It's not easy and it didn't come easy for us tonight. We didn't have a lot of power plays and we just kind of stuck with it."

Darren Helm was left alone in front and scored with a backhand deke to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 1:26 of the first period.
Tkachuk tied it 1-1 with a wrist shot from the slot at 5:28. Twenty-nine seconds later, Austin Watson scored off a pass from Dylan Gambrell to make it 2-1 at 5:27.
"I didn't like the way we played in the first half of the game," Bednar said. "We didn't manage the puck very well. Both goal 1 and goal 2 against, they're both turnovers, one in the neutral zone one in the [offensive] zone. We talked about how dangerous Ottawa is off the rush, they've got some get-up-and-go and they can make plays off the rush. And if we were able to take that away from them, then our chances of success go up greatly. We didn't do that tonight."
Landeskog tipped a Toews point shot on the power play to tie it 2-2 at 8:19.
Stutzle scored on a breakaway to make it 3-2 at 1:13 of the second period. It was originally called no goal on the ice because the puck crossed the line after the net was off its moorings, but video review determined Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson caused the net to be displaced.
"I think it was the luckiest goal I've ever scored," Stutzle said.

Josh Norris got to a loose puck at the edge of the crease and scored into an open net to make it 4-2 at 2:49. Stutzle scored his second of the game with a wrist shot on the power play to make it 5-2 at 7:46.
Newhook deked Senators defenseman Lassi Thomson and scored with a snap shot to cut it to 5-3 at 9:36.
Tyson Jost tipped a MacKinnon point shot during a delayed penalty to cut it to 5-4 at 1:52 of the third period.
Colorado scored with 2:46 remaining in the third, but Ottawa challenged for offside, and the call on the ice was overturned.
"We've got to find a way to keep those pucks out at the end," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "Good teams can clamp down, and we gave up a couple at the end."
NOTES: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was a late scratch with an upper-body injury and is day to day. Colorado forward Nazem Kadri also did not play; he has a lower-body injury and is day to day. Defenseman Bowen Byram missed a second game with an undisclosed injury and is day to day, and forward J.T. Compher, out since Nov. 13 with an upper-body injury, will join the Avalanche on Sunday. They play at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.