Adam Gaudette scored twice, and Tim Stutzle added three assists as the Ottawa Senators edged the host San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Josh Norris and Tyler Kleven scored the other goals, and captain Brady Tkachuk added two assists for Ottawa, which has won back-to-back games. The Senators improved to 8-1-0 when scoring first this season.
Linus Ullmark made 36 saves to improve to 6-0-0 in six career games against San Jose.
Will Smith had a goal and an assist, and Mario Ferraro and Macklin Celebrini also scored for the Sharks, who have lost four of five.
Mackenzie Blackwood stopped seven shots in the loss.
Ottawa led 2-0 after one period despite being outshot 12-4 in the opening 20 minutes.
Gaudette opened the scoring by redirecting Stutzle’s cross-ice feed for his 10th of the season at 4:35 of the first period. Stutzle extended his point streak to five games.
Tkachuk picked up his 200th career assist with the secondary helper on the goal.
Ottawa took a 2-0 lead at 13:56 on a power play as Norris one-timed Drake Batherson’s pass past Blackwood for his ninth of the season.
Ferraro got San Jose on the board midway through the second period, redirecting a cross-ice feed from Smith for his first of the season.
Kleven restored Ottawa’s two-goal lead, putting a slap shot past Blackwood from the top of the faceoff circle for his first NHL goal at 15:22 of the second. With his assist, Claude Giroux extended his point streak to four games.
Celebrini pulled San Jose within one, tapping in William Eklund’s feed past Ullmark at 4:48 of the third period for his seventh of the season.
Smith tied it 3-3 at 12:32 of the third period on a power play, poking in the rebound off his own shot for his third of the season.
Ottawa took a 4-3 lead at 15:48 of the third period as Gaudette redirected Stutzle’s centering pass over the glove of Blackwood for his 11th of the season.
Wednesday was the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. San Jose visits Ottawa on March 1 to wrap up the season series.
–Field Level Media