OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators blew a four-goal lead but still earned two points with a 5-4 shootout win against the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday in goalie Craig Anderson's return.
Anderson made 42 saves in his first game since Jan. 21 when he sustained an injury to his right hand against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators were leading 4-0 with a little more than 13 minutes left in the third period, but the Flames got a goal from Joe Colborne at 6:56 and then goals 59 seconds apart by Kris Russell and Mikael Backlund starting at 11:28 to make it 4-3.
Russell tied it with a wrist shot from the slot at with 2:18 left in the third period.
The Senators (30-23-11) won for the eighth time in their past nine games (8-0-1). They are 10-1-2 in their past 13 games and five points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
The Senators and the Bruins play at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
Senators coach Dave Cameron opted to start Anderson over Andrew Hammond, who was 7-0-1 as an NHL starter after Anderson and Robin Lehner (concussion) each sustained an injury.
The Flames (36-25-5), in a tight playoff race of their own, went 4-2-1 on their seven-game road trip through the Eastern Conference.
Goalie Karri Ramo started for the Flames but was pulled after giving up four goals on 23 shots. He was replaced by Jonas Hiller, who made 19 saves through overtime.
Senators captain Erik Karlsson scored on a shot to the glove side in the sixth round of the shootout, and then Anderson stopped Josh Jooris with his blocker to give Ottawa the win.
The Senators looked like they had taken control of the game with a strong second period, doubling their lead to 4-0 on goals by defenseman Mark Borowiecki, his first of the season, and Mike Hoffman, who leads the Senators with 24 goals.
Borowiecki's goal came after some sustained pressure by the line of center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and wings Curtis Lazar and Erik Condra.
After a flurry around the Calgary net, Condra passed the puck back to Borowiecki at the left point and his waist-high shot deflected off Calgary defenseman David Schlemko and behind Ramo at 2:34 of the second period.
Hoffman scored on a strong wrist shot at 7:10. He took a pass from Mika Zibanejad and his shot from inside the right wing circle found the net over Ramo's left shoulder.
The assist extended Zibanejad's point streak to a career-high seven games (three goals, four assists).
The Senators led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Alex Chiasson, his 10th, and Milan Michalek, his 12th and the 199th of his NHL career.
Each goal was scored from in close and to Ramo's left.
Chiasson benefited from a good play by veteran forward David Legwand, who carried the puck up the left wing boards in the Calgary zone before spinning and firing a pass at the net.
The puck went through Schlemko and found Chiasson alone at the edge of the crease, and Chiasson lifted the puck into the top of the net at 12:47.
The assist was Legwand's 600th NHL point.
Michalek scored with 7.1 seconds left in the period on a good pass by Mark Stone from behind the net.
Stone corralled the puck after it was rimmed around by Ottawa defenseman Erik Gryba. He passed it to Michalek, who scored into the top of the net from around the same spot as Chiasson's goal.
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