Country Night brought some extra buzz to the CTC as the Senators returned to home ice for the first time in 19 days.
The Rangers are the NHL’s strongest road team, and they came out with purpose. It was immediately clear this would be a major test for Ottawa’s weakened defence corps, as Leevi Meriläinen was forced into a big early save after newcomer (sort of) Dennis Gilbert was caught flat-footed on the backcheck.
The visitors struck not long after, capitalizing when Nikolas Matinpalo pinched too aggressively and Tim Stützle lost his defensive assignment. J.T. Miller jumpstarted the counterattack, beating Tyler Kleven on the rush before threading a perfect pass to Mika Zibanejad for the finish. 1-0.
MIKA MAGIC 🪄💫 pic.twitter.com/HDEmMDosWX
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 5, 2025
Ottawa pushed back, generating a pair of quality looks in response. Drake Batherson showed excellent patience on one sequence, drifting into space for a dangerous shot that rang iron. But the Rangers doubled their lead when Vladislav Gavrikov, given far too much time and space, snapped a screened shot past Meriläinen’s glove. 2-0.
GAVI 👊 pic.twitter.com/NfCIdc8BCl
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 5, 2025
The Senators continued to press, with chances from David Perron (off the post) and Batherson (turned aside by Shesterkin), while Matinpalo had a prime look off a Stützle feed that sailed wide. It was during this span that Shane Pinto took an awkward hit along the boards and eventually headed down the tunnel. He would not return to the game, the team citing a lower-body injury.
Thankfully, Ottawa caught a break moments later.
Will Cuylle was sent off for holding Claude Giroux, and the Senators capitalized on the ensuing power play in short order. Batherson delivered a slick backhand feed to Dylan Cozens, who buried a well-placed shot. 2-1.
Dylan Cozens scores on the power play and puts us on the board! pic.twitter.com/mv0inTXsZh
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 5, 2025
Ottawa headed into the first intermission with some wind in their sails, but they opened the second period on the back foot. They found themselves pinned in their own zone for extended stretches of the opening 15 minutes, and leaned heavily on Meriläinen to keep the game within reach.
A prolonged sequence of defensive-zone pressure left three Ottawa skaters trapped on the ice for more than two minutes, and they did their goaltender no favours as Will Borgen lasered a shot past Meriläinen. 3-1.
SOUCY ➡️ BORGEN ➡️ SCORE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/x0iIihfquv
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 5, 2025
The pressure continued as Ottawa struggled to execute even basic breakouts, repeatedly stalled by the Rangers’ aggressive forecheck.
Things worsened when Stützle was whistled for a cross-checking penalty – one he emphatically disagreed with. The Sens managed to kill off the minor (something worth celebrating given their recent woes), keeping the deficit at two.
Toward the end of the frame, Ottawa found flickers of their earlier energy. Brady Tkachuk generated a dangerous 2-on-1 chance that Shesterkin shut down, and moments later he found himself alone in front only to be foiled again by the Rangers’ netminder once more.
Even with that late push, a far shakier showing in the second period left the Senators heading into the third down by two.
The Senators opened the final frame with far more jump, taking the play to the Rangers and generating sustained pressure, but Shesterkin continued to stand tall with a series of big stops.
Fabian Zetterlund and Tkachuk connected on a sharp passing play that sprung Stützle for a breakaway, but after losing an edge (and facing yet another excellent save from Shesterkin), Timmy came away empty-handed. Still, he remained one of Ottawa’s brightest sparks in the third, driving play with multiple energetic rushes that helped tilt the ice back in the Sens’ favour, even if the puck continued to stay out.
Ottawa earned a power play when Borgen was called for elbowing Michael Amadio. Greig gave Giroux a nice feed for a dangerous look, but the Senators failed to record a shot and came up dry.
A second chance soon followed when Miller went off for slashing, and this time the Sens made it count: after a few patient cycles, Tkachuk unleashed a heavy one-timer that Batherson accidentally-on-purpose redirected with his body to finally beat Shesterkin. 3-2.
Drake Batherson scores his 10th of the season and puts us within 1! pic.twitter.com/LALSKXLQCO
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 5, 2025
There was hope, but it was too little, too late. Ottawa pulled Meriläinen with two minutes remaining, but the extra skater produced no magic. Artemi Panarin sealed the game with an empty-netter – slipping one five-hole on Jake Sanderson’s desperate goaltending attempt – for his 900th career point. 4-2, final.
Game NotesThis was a tough game to walk away from with zero points, as the Senators were the better team in both the first and third periods and generated plenty of high-quality chances throughout. Shesterkin (and the post) was the difference-maker tonight, delivering an outstanding performance that stole the game for New York.The absence of Artem Zub and Thomas Chabot was clearly felt in the Senators’ back end tonight. Gilbert had a rough outing, he was caught behind the play on multiple occasions and had a turnover that directly contributed to the second goal against. Matinpalo also struggled. Jake Sanderson recorded a two-point night, giving him eight points in his last five games as he continues to dazzle.Ottawa went 2-for-3 on the power play, offering a rare dose of optimism for a team that has struggled on special teams this season.Losing Shane Pinto during the game is a major blow for the Senators and could have significant implications moving forward. His usefulness is hard to replace.Game Flow
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