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Batherson's Third Career Hat Trick Powers Senators to 7-4 Win Over Rangers
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- Batherson's Third Career Hat Trick Powers Senators to 7-4 Win Over Rangers
Drake Batherson recorded the third hat trick of his NHL career on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Rangers 7-4 at Canadian Tire Centre.
Batherson scored twice in the first two periods before completing his hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute. He also assisted on Dylan Cozens' first goal of the season.
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Dylan Cozens spoke on Saturday morning about his quest for goal number one this season (Senators YouTube).
Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson and Michael Amadio had the other goals for the Senators, who bounced back from Thursday night's 6-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
The Senators were without starting goaltender Linus Ullmark, who suffered an injury during Wednesday's emotional 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. With rest not being a factor, it was interesting to see Belleville goaltender Jonas Johansson get his first start as a Senators ahead of Sam Ersson.
The Rangers were also missing their number-one netminder, Igor Shesterkin, who is out for the season.
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Batherson probably lost some sleep Thursday night after being robbed of a prime scoring opportunity by San Jose goalie Yaroslav Askarov.
Five minutes into Saturday's game, he found himself with almost the same opportunity from the same spot on the ice. This time, Batherson made no mistake, giving the Sens a 1-0 lead.
Just 32 seconds later, Stützle doubled the lead. Sprinting away from a sluggish backcheck by J.T. Miller, Stützle finished off a gorgeous lateral pass through the blue paint from Fabian Zetterlund.
Early in the second, Batherson struck again. After a Cozens shot from the slot, the rebound bounced right to Batherson, who buried it to make it 3-0.
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But the Rangers didn't go quietly.
Will Cuylle got New York on the board at 10:07 as the Senators' power play surrendered its third shorthanded goal in two games. A Cozens giveaway sent the Rangers away on a 2-on-1, and Cuylle ripped a shot past Johansson.
Cozens made amends shortly afterward, restoring the Senators' three-goal lead with his first goal of the season.
But the Rangers scored twice before the second intermission. Miller struck at 12:54, and Alexis Lafrenière followed at 19:34, suddenly making it a 4-3 game heading into the third.
The Senators had watched a comfortable three-goal lead shrink to one in less than 10 minutes. And they were under siege for much of the third period.
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Sanderson finally gave the Senators some short-lived breathing room at 13:08, swatting home a rebound with his backhand to make it 5-3. Amadio and Ridly Greig did some excellent work to set that one up.
Pavel Dorofeyev answered for the Rangers just over two minutes later, with a one timer from long distance that fooled Johansson, once again cutting the deficit to one.
Amadio then delivered a huge insurance goal at 18:47. With the Rangers' net empty, Sanderson missed a 200-foot shot, but Amadio got the jump on everyone to negate the icing and tucked in the loose puck after it banked off the end boards.
Batherson completed his hat trick in weird fashion with another empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining. In the Sens' zone, he blocked a shot from the point that hit his shin pad and travelled 170 feet in the other direction right into the empty cage.
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Batherson finished with three goals and an assist, while Sanderson had a goal and two helpers. Cozens also enjoyed a three-point night with a goal and two assists.
The Rangers outshot the Senators on the night, 28-24. It was a bend-don't-break kind of night but the club found a way to secure two important points.
And for Batherson, the Senators' highest-paid player, it was another memorable night in a Senators uniform.
At 8-4 on the young season, the Sens now head west for a five-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Vegas.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
