CALGARY, Alberta -- Mika Zibanejad scored three times in a span of 2:38 in the third period to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
Zack Smith, Nick Paul and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored for Ottawa, which has won five of its last six and remained six points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Johnny Gaudreau had two goals and an assist, and Joe Colborne and Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames, who are winless in their last four.
With Ottawa trailing 4-2, Zibanejad got the Senators' rally started at 6:10, beating Joni Ortio on a wrist shot.
At 7:59, he tied the game by scoring into an empty net after Ortio appeared to be interfered with by Bobby Ryan. However, the contact happened outside the crease and the goal was allowed to stand after Flames coach Bob Hartley challenged it.
Zibanejad capped his first career three-goal game -- a natural hat trick -- 49 seconds later, chipping the puck into the net from in close. The 22-year-old Swede entered the game with one goal in his previous 15 games.
Despite a noisy contingent of Senators fans, no hats were thrown on the ice, but a Flames jersey was and quickly scooped up.
Pageau added an empty-netter with a minute left to cap the scoring.
On the day his linemate Jiri Hudler was traded to the Florida Panthers, Gaudreau didn't miss a beat, extending his point streak to a career-best seven games. He has three goals and eight assists in that span.
Gaudreau's first of the night came at 10:23 of the second. Giving Calgary a 3-1 lead, he darted in and from the face-off circle whipped a shot into the top corner.
After Paul drew the Senators back within one four minutes later, Gaudreau scored top corner again with 23 seconds left in the period to restore a two-goal cushion.
Craig Anderson had 34 saves for Ottawa, while Ortio made 20 stops.
Calgary got off to a fast start, getting goals 42 seconds apart from Colborne and Monahan early in the first period.
Smith's power-play goal at 18:21 got the Senators on the scoreboard.
Game notes
Flames D Kris Russell (lower body) missed his seventh consecutive game. ... RW David Jones took Hudler's spot on the Flames' top line with Gaudreau and Monahan. ... The Senators announced that RW Chris Neil signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension. ... Calgary D Dennis Wideman served the 13th game of a 20-game suspension.
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