Senators rally past Hurricanes with four late goals

The Ottawa Senators scored four goals in a third-period rally and beat the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 7-5 on Thursday night in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound teams.

Drake Batherson and Adam Gaudette had two goals each and Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens a goal and two assists apiece and Shane Pinto also scored for the Senators (45-30-7, 97 points). Linus Ullmark made 28 saves.

Andre Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Skyler Brind'Amour, Jack Roslovic and Tyson Jost got the goals for the Hurricanes (47-30-5, 99 points). Taylor Hall had two assists and Fredrik Andersen stopped 25 shots.

Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk returned after missing eight games with an upper-body injury. He left early in the third period as a precaution after taking a stick in the face.

Batherson's second goal of the game, on the power play, was the winner with 6:22 remaining. Stutzle added a power-play goal with 1:12 left.

Gaudette's second goal, 4:17 into the third period, pulled the Senators to within 5-4 and Batherson tied the game with 9:59 left on a backhand shot after making a move.

The Senators led 3-2 after the first period following a wild flurry at the end of the period that saw the teams combine for four goals in a span of 2:43.

Ottawa led 1-0 on Gaudette's goal 8:05 into the game and stretched the lead to 3-0 on markers by Cozens with 3:25 left in the opening period and Pinto with 2:38 remaining.

But Kotkaniemi put the Hurricanes on the scoreboard with 2:27 left for the first of five straight by the Hurricanes. Brind'Amour got his first NHL goal with 42 seconds remaining in the first period. He is the son of Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour.

The Hurricanes then scored three goals in the second period.

Svechnikov tied the game for Carolina 3-3, 50 seconds into the period with a power-play goal. Roslovic gave the Hurricanes the lead at 4:05 and Jost made it 5-3 at 6:32.

--Field Level Media