By Canadian Press

Rookie goaltender Gustavsson shines again as Senators come back to beat Flames 3-1

Mar 24, 2021 | 4:43 PM

OTTAWA — Rookie goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves and Chris Tierney scored the winning goal as the Ottawa Senators beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 Wednesday.

Gustavsson, who led the Senators to a 2-1 win over Calgary in his first career NHL start Monday, won a goaltending duel with Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom. Both goalies looked sharp while keeping the scoring down in what was a fast-paced game.

Markstrom made 28 saves.

Rookie Josh Norris scored his third goal in four games for Ottawa (12-20-3), which has earned at least a point in five straight games (3-0-2). Nikita Zaitsev iced the game with an empty-net goal.

Captain Mark Giordano scored his fifth goal of the season for the Flames (15-16-3).

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The Senators improved to 5-2 in their season series with the Flames.

Both Gustavsson and Markstrom came up with big stops in a fast-paced but goalless first period. Shots were 11-10 in favour of the Senators.

Ottawa forward Drake Batherson had a fantastic chance to open the scoring eight minutes into the second period but he rang his shot off the crossbar.

However, the Flames struck first shortly after killing a tripping penalty to Dillon Dube when Giordano’s shot from the point clipped Senators forward Alex Formenton and beat Gustavsson.

Shots were 21-18 after two periods in favour of the Flames.

Ottawa tied the game 4:48 into the third when Evgenii Dadonov won the puck on the forecheck behind the Calgary net thanks to some strong forechecking. Dadonov put the puck in front for Norris, who beat Markstrom for his eighth goal of the season.

Later in the period the Senators hemmed the Flames in their own zone and were rewarded when Tierney scored to put the Senators up 2-1 at the 12:01 mark.

After fatigued Flames defenceman Noah Hanafin — who played a three-minute 12-second shift thanks to Ottawa’s pressure — failed to clear the puck out of Calgary’s zone, Tierney fired a rebound off a Thomas Chabot shot past Markstrom.

The Senators next host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Calgary hosts Winnipeg on Friday in the first of three straight games against the Jets.

Notes: Formenton, called up from the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators to replace the injured Austin Watson, played his NHL game since Nov. 1, 2018. … Calgary is a perfect 12-for-12 on the penalty kill over its past four games. … The Senators power play has just three goals in its past 31 chances. … Chabot logged 28:03 of ice time, ending his streak of playing 30-plus minutes at three games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2021.

The Canadian Press