Surging Senators take aim at reeling Devils

The Ottawa Senators will look to stretch their point streak to six games when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon in Newark, N.J.

Ottawa edged the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout Saturday to improve to 4-0-1 over their last five games.

Adam Gaudette and Tim Stutzle each scored a goal in the first period as Ottawa jumped to an early 2-0 lead. The Bruins responded with three unanswered goals and led 5-3 in the third period until Nick Jensen and Josh Norris scored just over three minutes apart to help the Senators forge a tie.

Stutzle, the Senators' leader with 30 assists and 45 points in 45 games, scored in the shootout for Ottawa. He has three goals over his last five games.

"I thought we let our guard down a little bit after we got the lead," Senators coach Travis Green said. "We were playing really well in the first, but like playoff hockey, when you do that, the other team will take advantage, and they're going to push. They've played a lot of playoff games over there, and I thought we got it back for the third."

Norris scored twice in the win over the Bruins. He has three goals and two assists in his last five games.

Captain Brady Tkachuk has a team-leading 18 goals in 45 games, and goaltender Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves in Saturday's win.

"I will consider everything," Green said when asked whether Merilainen would start on consecutive days.

Merilainen made back-to-back starts earlier this month, picking up wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins (Jan. 11) and Dallas Stars (Jan. 12).

Anton Forsberg, who is 4-8-1 with an .883 save percentage and 3.10 goals-against average in 14 starts, also is an option on Sunday for the Senators.

Linus Ullmark (back injury) is considered day-to-day, according to Green, and will accompany the team on its three-game road trip.

Sunday will be the second of three meetings between the Devils and Senators this season. New Jersey picked up a 3-1 win in Ottawa on Oct. 17.

Nathan Bastian, Paul Cotter and Erik Haula each scored a goals in the Devils' win, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves.

Tkachuk responded with a power-play goal for the Senators in the loss.

New Jersey is looking to snap a three-game skid (0-1-2) following a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

The Devils, second in the Metropolitan Division, are 2-5-3 over their last 10 games.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton scored the lone goal on Saturday, and goaltender Jake Allen, who made his first start in seven games, turned aside 15 shots.

"Teams take our rush play away, and we have to find a way to create some more offensive zone time and create more," Devils captain Nico Hischier said. "The solution? It's simple: We need more high shots on net, getting guys to the net. Kind of how we scored the (Hamilton) goal."

Hischier, who played in his 500th game Saturday, leads the Devils with 22 goals in 48 games. Jack Hughes has a team-leading 55 points.

Markstrom, Sunday's likely starter, is 21-8-5 in 34 games, posting a .913 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA. In 15 career starts against Ottawa, he is 6-6-3 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA.

The Devils and Senators will conclude their season series on March 22 in New Jersey.

--Field Level Media