Ottawa Senators Top Florida 5-1, Strengthen Playoff Spot

Ottawa Senators Defeat Florida Panthers 5-1, Bolster Playoff Hopes

Ottawa, Ontario - The Ottawa Senators secured a decisive 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre, extending their winning streak to three games and strengthening their grip on a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Fabian Zetterlund led the charge with two goals, marking one of his strongest performances of the season. Drake Batherson opened the scoring with his 32nd goal of the year, tipping in a shot from Jake Sanderson in the first period. Artem Zub added to the lead in the third, capitalizing on a rebound from another Sanderson shot to make it 3-0. Claude Giroux sealed the win with an empty-net goal late in the frame, followed 19 seconds later by Zetterlund's second tally from the high slot. Jesper Boqvist scored the lone goal for the Panthers, who have been eliminated from postseason contention, squeezing a shot under Linus Ullmark's arm at 14:17 of the third period.

Ullmark finished with 21 saves, providing steady support as Ottawa limited Florida to 23 shots on goal. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 stops for the Panthers. The Senators outshot Florida 28-23...