Andrew Hammond, Mark Stone continue fairy-tale seasons
Rookies guide Ottawa to Stanley Cup playoffs
Where would the Ottawa Senators be without rookies Andrew Hammond and Mark Stone?
Well, not in the playoffs — that's a guarantee.
The dynamic duo was at it again on Saturday, playing key roles in the Senators' 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The victory clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for Ottawa, which is the top wild-card team in the Eastern Conference and will face the Atlantic Division champion Montreal Canadiens in the opening round.
During this astonishing playoff push in which Ottawa won 23 of its past 31 games (22-4-4), Hammond posted an amazing 20-1-2 record.
The 27-year-old goaltender continued his stellar play against the Flyers, stopping 34 of 35 shots — a good sign for the Senators as they head into the post-season with Hammond holding an impressive 10-0-2 record on the road.
It's safe to say the Hamburglar has caught the imagination of the hockey world.
“There’s a lot of hard work that went into this.” Andrew Hammond on clinching a playoff spot. WATCH: <a href="http://t.co/1zAU5hPE5O">http://t.co/1zAU5hPE5O</a>
—@SenatorsLike Hammond, Stone has been nothing short of sensational and he proved it once again in Philadelphia. He gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead in the first period after a perfect setup from forward Clarke MacArthur.
Stone then finished off the Flyers in the third period after stripping forward Jakub Voracek of the puck and burying the insurance goal behind goaltender Steve Mason.
Stone, a candidate for NHL rookie of the year honours, has now scored 35 points in the past 31 games. His completes the regular season on a nine-game point streak, where he notched eight goals and five assists.
Stone and Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau finished tied for first in rookie scoring with 64 points. Stone gets the tiebreaker because he has 26 goals to Gaudreau's 24.