The Ottawa Senators' season looked to be in danger of spiralling, but rookie goalie Leevi Merilainen has given them a new lease on life, says Adam Proteau.

OTTAWA -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 874th NHL goal at 3:07 of overtime, giving the Washington Capitals a 1-0 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin scored with 1:53 left in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators

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The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

Merilainen, who played for Allen of the ECHL and Belleville of the American Hockey League in 2023-24 and began this season as the Senators' fourth-string goaltender, is the second goalie in Ottawa history, joining Andrew Hammond, to record multiple shutout wins in his first 10 NHL games.

Kicking off a busy end-of-January stretch for both teams, the Ottawa Senators host the Boston Bruins in a key Saturday afternoon clash of clubs on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble.

Filling in for injured defenseman Thomas Chabot, Donovan Sebrango played more like a veteran instead of a young, nervous rookie making his NHL debut for the Ottawa Senators Thursday.

After a few weeks of teasing the idea of a return to the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers have signed veteran defenseman John Klingberg to a new contract. Klingberg has

32-year-old defenseman limited to 14 games with Maple Leafs last season due to hip surgery The Ottawa Senators hosted their Hockey Talks night presented by Bell Let’s Talk when they took on the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre last night.

New Jersey looks to get back on track against the Philadelphia Flyers in a matinee game. Saturday's game is the first of two Next Generation Weekend games presented by RWJBarnabas Health. You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.