Better late than never, Vladimir Tarasenko helps Senators end five-game skid

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SENATORS 5, SHARKS 4

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That sigh of relief you heard across the city Saturday night came from the Canadian Tire Centre.

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As people across the city dug out of the snowfall delivered by Mother Nature in the wee hours of the morning, the Ottawa Senators started to dig their way out of the mess they’ve created for themselves by putting the brakes on a five-game losing streak.

The San Jose Sharks may be the National Hockey League’s worst team, but beggars can’t be choosers, so the Senators will take the two points and move on after scoring a 5-4 victory in front 18,764, their fourth straight sellout.

Not long after it looked as if the Sharks would sent this game overtime by tying it up 4-4 with three minutes left, Vladimir Tarasenko scored the winner with only 3.3 seconds remaining. The officials reviewed the play for possible goalie interference, but it was ruled a good goal.

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“I’m not going to lie, winning is nice,” Tarasenko said with a smile. “We shouldn’t have allowed (the tying goal by Filip Zadina); you’ve got the get the puck out. But it’s very nice to win a game.”

It was the Senators’ first win in 2024 and their first since a 5-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Eve. Captain Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot also chipped in with goals, while Joonas Korpisalo made 15 stops in net.

When Zadina tied it, you wouldn’t blame anybody for wondering if the Senators’ losing streak was about to hit six.

“They tie it up and it’s almost like, ‘Here were go again,’” Batherson said. “We had a couple of good shifts right after the goal and we were able to get one at the end. It’s definitely a rollercoaster of emotions when you see that late one go in, but it’s a credit to the guys for sticking with it.”

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Tim Stutzle had a career-high four assists for Ottawa.

“I’ve been struggling a lot and it’s tough when you’re struggling to keep your confidence up,” Stutzle said. “I believe in myself, I think I’m a really good player. Tonight, I wanted the puck more and to be creative. I worked hard in practice and I just wanted to get that swagger back.

“I had that tonight.”

Interim head coach Jacques Martin said it was important for the Senators to get rewarded for this effort.

“That was a big shift at the end and win,” Martin said. “They needed to be rewarded. It was important to have that bounce back after giving up that late goal instead of just kind of crawling. That was positive.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

Ottawa defenceman Artem Zub had three assists, seven shots on net and was plus-3. “I hope to keep shooting like that and we win more games,” Zub said …. Nothing has come easy for the Senators this season. After they surrendered a 2-0 lead and falling behind 3-2 on a goal by San Jose’s Kevin Labanc at 6:20 of the second period, Tkachuk tied it up 51 seconds later with No. 18 of the season. It was a perfect one-timer … The Senators continue to be a mystery in their own zone. Defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic tied it up 2-2 for San Jose at 3:53 of the second period on a 3-on-1 break with only Chabot back.

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OFF THE GLASS

Chabot got the monkey off his back Saturday. He opened up a 2-0 lead for the Senators with his first goal of the season. He has missed two months of action because of injuries and has only suited up for 16 games. The goal was also his first since March 25 against the New Jersey Devils. He fired a blast from the left faceoff circle … Former Senators winger Anthony Duclair got the Sharks on the board with his former club caught in its own zone on a long shift. That pulled San Jose to within a goal and it was only the second shot Korpisalo faced, but he was screened on the play by Chabot. That came at 12:35 of the first period … Tarasenko’s goal was the second-latest winner in franchise history. Nick Foligno holds the record with a winner with 2.5 seconds left against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 27, 2011.

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THE FINAL BUZZER

Giroux opened the scoring with 15:48 left in the first period on Ottawa’s third shot. He picked up a rebound on a Zub shot. That was the 342nd goal of Giroux’s career, moving him up to No. 82 all-time in NHL scoring with 1,037 points… The officials went upstairs to have a look at a chance by Ottawa’s Mark Kastelic moments later that appeared to cross the line. After taking a long look, the situation room confirmed the puck hadn’t crossed the line. The fans were treated to a “no goal” call from referee Wes McCauley … Linesman Steve Barton, who is from nearby Vankleek Hill, officiated the 1,500th game of his NHL career Saturday. Barton, who worked his first NHL game on Nov. 1, 2000, between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, was honoured on the scoreboard … That was win No. 617 of Martin’s coaching career. He’s tied for 20th all-time with Bruce Boudreau.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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