The Senators head into a long off-season with victory over Bruins

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SENATORS 3, BRUINS 1

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It felt appropriate for the Ottawa Senators to cross the finish line of a long season in the home of the Boston Marathon.

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The Senators closed out what’s been an awful year on a positive note with a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at the TD Garden, with Anton Forsberg making 34 stops to steal the two points.

Now, after missing the playoffs for the seventh straight year, the Senators will gather at the Canadian Tire Centre for exit meetings and another lengthy summer.

“It wasn’t an easy task, but I thought the group fought the fight tonight,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson.

Winger Jiri Smejkal, suiting up for his 20th game of the season after being called up from the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, scored his first NHL goal and Jakob Chychrun also chipped in. Artem Zub put it away into an empty net.

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The referee waved it off at first when Smejkal put it through Linus Ullmark’s legs at 10:03 of the second to open the scoring, but it was ruled a goal.

“I thought I saw it behind the line,” Smejkal said. “It’s unreal. It’s hard to describe. I worked so hard for that. All the games I’ve played and I was close a few times, but finally today it was good to get one in.”

STAIOS PROMISES CHANGES

Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, joined TSN’s Jon Abbott after the first period in Boston to discuss the work ahead in the off-season.

Heading into his first off-season in the GM’s chair, Staios knows changes have to be made to get this club to the post-season.

“The players are probably getting tired, and I am already, that we’re leaving at this time of year and this is our last game. No one feels good about that,” Staios said Tuesday night. “It’s a whole team effort.”

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Staios has a lot on his plate, not the least of which is a search for a coach to replace Jacques Martin, who took over on an interim basis. Staios said the work on a replacement has already started, but it sounds like the Senators want to see if any other coaching changes are made.

“We often get asked about the process and if it’s started. It’s ongoing,” Staios said. “You can understand there’s certain people that check all the boxes for us, but there’s a need for some patience and time just to get to the level where we know all the candidates that may be available.

“It’s been our approach all along; we want to make sure we’re making the right decision and not jumping into anything too early. We’ve started down that path and we think it will continue to heat up.”

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Staios is confident that Martin has put the foundation in place.

“This year was an opportunity for us to evaluate,” Staios said. “Jacques has done a tremendous job of hammering on the professionalism and the details. We thank him and the coaching staff for laying the foundation. Now, we have to continue that progress.”

Forsberg started the final game and came up with some huge stops, especially in the third. Goaltending is an area that Staios didn’t admit he has to address, but this club has to do something because Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo left a lot to be desired.

Only Pavel Zacha scored for Boston on Tuesday night.

“We knew they were going to come out hard in the third and we had to battle hard to get the two points,” said Forsberg, who made 22 stops in the third.

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“It’s great for the guys to finish with a win,” Martin said.

AROUND THE BOARDS

Defenceman Thomas Chabot, who dealt with various ailments all season and only played 51 games, left in the first period and didn’t return. He took a big hit from Boston’s Andrew Peeke … The Senators weren’t happy when Brad Marchand took out winger Ridly Greig in the first. Marchand was called for tripping, but it looked dangerous … Three players suited up for all 82 games: Veteran RW Claude Giroux, RW Drake Batherson and Chychrun. This was the first time in Chychrun’s career he’s played 82 games, but he did play a full shortened 56-game campaign in 2020-21 in Arizona. Unfortunately, he left in the third after blocking a shot … Called up from Belleville Monday, Zack Ostapchuk suited up for the final game. The club lost winger Boko Imama to a hand injury after he blocked a shot in New York. Centre Tim Stutzle missed the club’s final seven games with what’s believed to be a shoulder ailment … Best wishes to NESN broadcaster Jack Edwards, who announced he’ll retire at the end of the playoffs. Congratulations on a great career and 19 seasons calling the Bruins.

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THE FINAL BUZZER

Attention will turn to the NHL’s draft lottery next month with the season over.

While the date hasn’t been finalized, an executive confirmed to Postmedia on Tuesday that it will either be held May 5 or 6. The final decision will be made by the league’s head office in consultation with the TV networks.

The Senators will have the seventh-best odds for the No. 1 selection in the draft lottery at 6.5 per cent.

The Senators will have the seventh-best odds for the No. 1 selection at 6.5 per cent after Tuesday’s result.

The Senators have two picks in the first round this spring, including one they received from the Detroit Red Wings in the deal that sent Alex DeBrincat to the Motor City last summer.

BGarrioch@postmedia.com

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