Tkachuk helps Senators snap 5-game skid with 4-3 win over Flames

In the grand scheme of things it’s only Game 21 on the NHL schedule but the Ottawa Senators are hoping it’s the turning point they’ve desperately been seeking.
Brady Tkachuk’s power-play goal early in the third period stood as the winner as Ottawa pulled out a hard fought 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday to snap a five-game losing streak.
“I think it was a really big bounce back effort by our group,” said Tkachuk, who added an assist. “You know what? It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but I think that’s what we need to do to have success.
“I thought the whole group was bought in tonight and dialed in and did whatever it takes to win.”
Adam Gaudette, Drake Batherson and Cole Reinhardt, with his first career goal, also scored for the Senators (9-11-1).
Ottawa has struggled this season when playing from behind and gave up the first goal yet again, but this time it rallied.
The Senators benefited from a solid 24-save performance from Anton Forsberg, who made several key saves.
“The games don’t always look a lot different, and you find a way to win,” said Senators coach Travis Green. “I thought we just stuck with it. We didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot.
“We played up until the last maybe two or three games, we’ve played some pretty good games that looked a lot like this and we just didn’t win them. And that’s today’s NHL.”
The Flames (12-7-3) came into the nation’s capital riding a four-game win streak but took too many penalties. The Senators were 2-for-9 with the man advantage.
“We took nine minor penalties,” said Calgary coach Ryan Huska. “I don’t care what league you’re in, you’re not going to win a hockey game or give yourself a chance to win.
“But hey, 5-on-5 I thought we worked hard and we did some things. There was a fight right to the end, which I’m pretty proud of our group for but we didn’t really give ourselves a chance with the amount of penalties we were taking tonight.”
Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames.
Huberdeau had a power-play goal at 14:32 of the first period and Calgary seemed to double their lead 25 seconds later.
However, the goal was disallowed due to incidental contact with Forsberg. The Flames challenged the call but were unsuccessful, resulting in an Ottawa power play.
The Senators capitalized on that momentum, with Gaudette scoring eight seconds after the power play expired to tie the game, which seemed to set the tone for the home team.
Batherson’s power-play goal and Reinhardt’s first career goal gave the Senators a 3-1 lead in the second. Sharangovich brought the Flames to within one when Nick Jensen’s clearing attempt landed right on the Flames’ forward’s stick.
Tkachuk scored his team leading 11th early in the third and Kadri brought the Flames within one with 38.1 seconds remaining.
“It was a bit of a funny game,” said Kadri. “It was a little bit off with all of the penalties, obviously some challenges and some whistles. The rhythm wasn’t great. I mean, you’re in the box for a full period.”
The Senators will be looking to gain some momentum from the win as they head out on a three-game California road swing.
“You don’t just want one win,” said Tkachuk. “Be comfortable with one win. Of course, it feels nice.
“To finally, smile after a game is a good feeling. Now it’s just all about building.”