OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators are on the verge of a long-awaited trip back to the Eastern Conference final.
Kyle Turris beat Henrik Lundqvist five-hole in overtime as the Senators pulled out a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Ottawa now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and will try to secure its first trip to the Eastern Conference final since 2007 with a victory in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
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Ottawa dug out from a 2-0 first period hole on three straight goals from Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Tom Pyatt before Derick Brassard tied it with 86 seconds left in regulation. Craig Anderson made 29 saves to secure the Sens’ fifth OT win of the playoffs.
Jimmy Vesey, Jesper Fast, Nick Holden, and Ryan McDonagh scored in defeat for the Rangers and Lundqvist made 31 saves.
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Teams that win Game 5 when a series is tied 2-2 have gone on to win 78.7 per cent of the time, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, including a perfect 3-0 in 2017.
The biggest early buzz at Canadian Tire Centre came when Chris Neil stepped onto the ice for the first time this post-season. After dropping the previous two games, the Sens were searching for a jolt of energy from the 37-year-old, who equalled Wade Redden for third in team history with his 94th career playoff appearance.