By STEPHEN WHYNO
Brady Tkachuk reached a milestone by netting his 200th regular-season NHL goal and contributing three assists as the Ottawa Senators triumphed over the New York Rangers with an 8-4 victory on Wednesday night, marking the Rangers’ fifth straight defeat.
Originating from St. Louis and poised to represent the U.S. at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, Tkachuk was instrumental in setting up Drake Batherson’s power-play goal just 2:18 into the game and Dylan Cozens’ late first-period goal with only 5.7 seconds remaining. With additional goals from Nick Jensen and Tkachuk himself, the Senators achieved a remarkable feat by scoring four times in a single period at Madison Square Garden, a first in the franchise’s 33-year history.
The Rangers faced the ire of their home crowd, who expressed their discontent with boos as the team left the ice after a dismal first period. Their fortunes barely improved as the game progressed, leading to a 17th loss in 22 home games and anchoring them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick surrendered six goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Spencer Martin midway through the second period. Quick’s performance was hampered by the defensive lapses of his teammates, contributing to New York’s eighth loss in nine outings.
Meanwhile, in the Senators’ net, Leevi Merilainen, stepping up for his ninth consecutive start due to Linus Ullmark’s absence, managed 18 saves. He conceded goals to Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, and Alexis Lafrenière, but his efforts were enough to secure the win for Ottawa.
Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and David Perron also scored and Tim Stutzle had an empty-net goal as the Senators won on back-to-back nights, following up on beating Vancouver at home on Tuesday to snap their losing streak at four.
UP NEXT
Senators: Host the rival Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Rangers: Visit Philadelphia on Saturday.
