It certainly wasn't a masterpiece, but the Senators overcame the absence of Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson overcame another goal from behind the net and the Ottawa Senators did just enough to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a 2-1 shootout win over the Boston Bruins.
Anderson was great after allowing Drew Stafford's wraparound goal, the third goal in three games that were scored from below the goal line. While Ben Harpur may take a brunt of the criticism for failing to get the puck out while killing a penalty, Zdeno Chara made a good play to keep it in, and Anderson stumbled and couldn't get across his crease to stop Stafford from jamming it home.
Aside from that mistake, Anderson was stellar, highlighted by his robbing Frank Vatrano twice off what looked like sure goals.
For the third game in a row, there was a late surprise addition to the lineup, as Cody Ceci made his unexpected return. He certainly isn't Erik Karlsson, but was certainly an upgrade on Jyrki Jokipakka who it was anticipated would get the start in the absence of Ceci and Karlsson. It was Harpur who was counted on more than you would expect, with just a shade under 23 minutes which was just four seconds less than Ceci, and more than Dion Phaneuf.
Alex Burrows scored the only goal in regulation for the Senators, blasting a shot past Tuukka Rask from just inside the blue line following a Bruins turnover. That goal turned out to be enough, as the Senators played the final 10 minutes like they were up a goal, knowing a point was enough to confirm their ticket for the first round of the playoffs.
Kyle Turris scored the lone goal in the shootout, with Anderson stopping all three Boston shooters as they gained an extra point to move a point ahead of the Bruins for home ice in what is looking like a first round matchup.
There is only one playoff spot yet to be decided, but still can be lots of shuffling around on the last weekend of the season. The Maple Leafs fell to Tampa Bay which kept the Leafs from clinching their spot and kept the hopes of the Lightning and Islanders (who beat Carolina) alive. Toronto needs a combination of their points gained and Tampa & Islanders points lost totaling 2 over their last two games to get in.
It could conceivably come down to Ottawa holding the Leafs' fate in their hands on Sunday afternoon when they face the Islanders in Brooklyn.
The Bruins had a tough time with Ontario-based teams this season, losing all 8 games against Toronto and Ottawa, while gaining just the one point they got last night. It looks like they will face one or the other.