Pinto's Overtime Birthday Gift Gives Senators 4-3 OT Win Over Colorado

Shane Pinto opened and closed the scoring on Thursday night as the Senators defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime at Canadian Tire Centre.

The victory was the Senators' third in their last four games, a stretch in which they've collected seven of a possible eight points. The Sens improved to 12-6-2 on the season as they continue to bank valuable points in the Eastern Conference standings.

Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson also scored for the Senators, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead before watching Colorado score three unanswered goals to take the lead in the third period.

Artturi Lehkonen, former Senator Parker Kelly and Gabriel Landeskog supplied the offence for Colorado, which overcame its early deficit but couldn't hold onto the lead.

The game also marked the return of Linus Ullmark, who made his first start since suffering a lower-body injury on October 21 against Florida. Ullmark stopped 25 shots to earn the victory, his seventh in as many starts this season.

The night started well for the Senators, with Pinto opening the scoring at 7:11 of the first period. After blocking a Brent Burns shot, Pinto raced down the ice, beat his man for the puck, then whipped it past Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

Stützle doubled the lead six minutes later, converting a setup from Fabian Zetterlund to give the home team a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes. Stützle was all alone in front, patiently pulled the puck to his backhand and tucked it in.

But the Avs gradually worked their way back.

Lehkonen scored on the power play late in the second period, and then it was Kelly who tied the game with a shorthanded goal early in the third.

Things got worse for the Sens when Landeskog scored another power-play goal midway through the final period, giving the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.

Suddenly, a game the Senators appeared to have under control was slipping away.

But Batherson came to the rescue. With just 3:56 remaining in regulation, Batherson pounced on a loose puck in the crease and scored his 10th goal of the season to force overtime.

That set the stage for Pinto, who was celebrating his 26th birthday, and got a lovely gift from Parker Kelly.

At 2:08 of overtime, Pinto intercepted an errant pass from Kelly in the Colorado zone and fired a wrist shot past Wedgewood for his second goal of the night and the 4-3 victory. He finished the evening with three points.

For Colorado, the loss of the point in overtime pales in comparison with the potential loss of their two superstars. Nathan MacKinnon and defenceman Cale Makar both left the game in the second period with lower-body injuries and did not return.

MacKinnon was injured after a firm cross check in the rib area from Artem Zub, who was playing his 400th career NHL game. It wasn't a violent cross check by any means, but it obviously caught Mackinnon in a vulnerable spot.

As for Makar, he just looked like he tried to change direction too quickly and damaged something.

The Sens hit the 20-game mark at 12-6-2, which incredibly, isn't enough for a spot in the Atlantic's top 3, but the win does leave them six points inside of the playoff picture with the first wild card. It also extended their points streak to four games (3-0-1).

The Sens are back in action Saturday when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News