Senators score 5 times in 3rd period to down free-falling Oilers
Ottawa erases late 3-1 deficit to hand Edmonton 6th loss in a row
Scoring five third-period goals may not be the usual game plan, but it was the perfect path to a win for the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Josh Norris scored a pair of goals and the Senators erased a 3-1 third-period deficit in a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Adam Gaudette, Alex Formenton, Artem Zub and Zach Sanford also scored for the Senators (11-18-2), who have won two straight and won their first game this season when trailing after the second period.
Gaudette, who also had an assist, said the comeback was a blast.
"It was a lot of fun. Personally it's been a while since I've had that much fun playing hockey," he said. "It's been a tough year and a half or so, so it really feels good to contribute and to help this team win."
Chris Tierney had two assists, while Senators starter Matt Murray stopped 33-of-37 shots.
Zack Kassian, Kailer Yamamoto, Brendan Perlini and Darnell Nurse replied for the Oilers (18-15-2), who are still in a free-fall. They have dropped six straight and are 2-10-2 in their last 14 games.
"That is one we let slip away," Kassian said. "Everybody is pretty upset. We were pretty frustrated with that one. That's a tough way to lose. You are up 3-1 going into the third and you lay a stinker. We are a pretty frustrated group. I think the writing is on the wall."
Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner made 20 saves in defeat.
Edmonton knotted the game with a power-play goal of its own with just 48 seconds remaining in the opening period as Leon Draisaitl won a board battle and fed it in front to Kassian, who wired a shot past Murray.
The Oilers made it 2-1 with eight minutes left in the middle frame as Yamamoto fought off Erik Brannstrom and slid a backhand shot under Murray while off balance.
The Oilers added to the their lead with two and a half minutes to play in the second as Perlini added some extra weight to a Duncan Keith shot for his third of the season.
Ottawa got one back early in the third on a two-on-one as Gaudette beat Skinner with a high backhander.
The Senators tied it up five minutes into the third period as Skinner coughed up a puck behind the net, eventually leading to a rebound goal by Formenton.
Ottawa's unlikely comeback saw them regain the lead midway through the third when Zub picked the top corner with a long shot.
However, the Oilers were able to draw even two minutes later as Nurse jumped up to score on a wrist shot.
The Senators came roaring back with another power-play goal as Norris scored his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Sanford put the game away with Ottawa's fifth third-period goal, scoring on a long seeing-eye empty netter.
The Senators return home to face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, while the Oilers are off until Thursday when they host the Florida Panthers.
