VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Ottawa Senators finally figured out a way to win a shootout, and in the process made Alexandre Burrows’ return to Vancouver a happy one.
Mark Stone scored in the fifth round of the shootout Tuesday as the Senators beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 to pick up their first victory of the season.
After losing its first two games in shootouts on home ice, Kyle Turris kept Ottawa alive on his team’s third attempt following Markus Granlund’s opener for Vancouver.
Stone then stepped up and knew exactly where he was going on Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.
“You watch Bobby (Ryan) come in on the first shot and he drops that right leg,” said Stone. “Then Turris goes in there and makes a great shot and (Marktstrom) drops the leg again. I said, ‘May as well go and see if he is going to drop it a third time,’ and fortunately he did.”
Cody Ceci and Ryan Dzingel scored in regulation for Ottawa (1-0-2), which got 26 stops from Craig Anderson as the Senators battled back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period.
“Eventually you’re going to win one of those shootouts,” said Anderson. “It’s just a matter of statistics.”
Christopher Tanev and Thomas Vanek replied for Vancouver (1-0-1), while Henrik Sedin added two assists. Markstrom made 40 saves.
The Canucks came close a couple of times in the extra period, with Tanev hitting the post 28 seconds in before Anderson stopped Sven Baertschi on a breakaway.
“We are up 2-1 going into the third, you want to get those two points,” said Tanev. “They are big down the stretch.”
Tuesday marked Burrows’ first game in Vancouver after the rebuilding Canucks dealt the veteran winger to Ottawa at February’s NHL trade deadline.
The 36-year-old, who clawed his way up from the third-tier ECHL as an undrafted free agent to eventually star on Vancouver’s top line, was a fan favorite during 12 seasons on the West Coast thanks to his grit, tireless work ethic and memorable playoff performances.
Burrows received a raucous standing ovation from the crowd at Rogers Arena following a video tribute on the scoreboard above centre ice during a first-period television timeout.
“It was really special,” said Burrows, who was stopped by Markstrom in the shootout after also getting robbed in the first period. “I didn’t know how I was going to react to the ovation and the video. It was great.
“I had a lot of fun tonight — even happier with the win.”
Players from both teams watched the montage that included Burrows’ overtime goal in Game 7 against Chicago in the first round of the 2011 post-season. He acknowledged fans by waving and tapping his chest.
“It’s always going to have a special place in my heart,” said Burrows, who also came out for a curtain call as the game’s second star. “It was nice to be back and see the fans’ reaction.
“They’ve always been behind me through the ups and downs. I owe them a lot.”
With his team down 2-1 in the third period, Dzingel took a slick cross-ice feed from Ryan at the side of the net before roofing a shot past Markstrom at 5:09. Bo Horvat had a chance to give the Canucks a two-goal edge a few minutes earlier, but his blast off the post that beat Anderson stayed out.
Vanek, who signed a one-year, US$2-million contract with the Canucks prior to training camp beat Anderson at 14:28 of the second to snap a 1-1 tie for his first goal with Vancouver.
Ottawa opened the scoring 4:08 into the game when Ceci’s innocent-looking effort from the sideboards squeezed between Markstrom’s glove and pants on the Senators’ second shot.
But Markstrom, who allowed a goal on the game’s first shot against Edmonton, made amends shortly thereafter when he flashed the same glove to rob Burrows on a 2-on-0 rush before Vancouver tied things at 7:03 when Tanev beat Anderson with a low drive through a screen.
Notes: Karlsson and/or Oduya could join the Senators in time for Friday’s visit to Calgary or Saturday’s game in Edmonton. … Jaros played his first NHL game, while Chabot suited up for his second.
UP NEXT:
Senators: visits Calgary on Friday night
Canucks: hosts Winnipeg on Thursday.
