Josh Norris scored twice, including the game-winning power-play goal 2:34 into overtime, as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Thursday night.
This matchup marked the first-ever meeting between the Senators and the expansion Kraken. Ottawa will visit Seattle on April 18 for the rematch.
Norris, playing in his 100th career game, now has 39 career goals, tying him with Alexei Yashin for the most goals by an Ottawa player in their first 100 games.
“That’s a cool stat,” Norris said. “I’ve been put in great spots since day one here, and I’ve had a lot of help along the way. It’s a cool milestone, but I’m focused on continuing.”
Brady Tkachuk and Parker Kelly also scored for the Senators, who kicked off a five-game homestand with the win. Anton Forsberg made 30 saves for Ottawa, which was looking to bounce back after a difficult 1-4-0 road trip.
“Obviously, that kind of performance can’t happen,” Tkachuk said. “But we dug in and found a way to win. Josh said after the game that all that matters is winning, so while it wasn’t pretty, we’re going to learn from it and get better.”
Jared McCann, Ryan Donato, and Mason Appleton scored for the Kraken. Originally drafted by Ottawa, Chris Driedger made 23 saves in the loss.
“The first two periods were inexcusable,” Donato said. “But once Jared (McCann) got that big goal, it gave us the feeling of, ‘We’re back in this,’ and I think many guys felt much better about the situation.”
The Kraken have now dropped the first four games of their five-game road trip, with their next stop in Montreal on Saturday night.
Seattle rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period. The Kraken scored twice in a 36-second span and completed the comeback at the 13-minute mark.
McCann started the rally with a sharp-angle goal at 9:14, followed by Donato tipping in Jamie Oleksiak’s point shot with 10:10 left in regulation. Appleton tied the game at 13:01 with a wrist shot that slipped past Forsberg.
Norris opened the scoring for Ottawa with his 21st goal of the season at 8:32 of the first period. The Senators added two more goals in the second period.
Tkachuk made it 2-0 with a backhanded goal after knocking the puck down in the slot for his 20th of the season. Kelly extended the lead to 3-0 at 7:40, taking advantage of a Kraken turnover and beating Driedger on a breakaway.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: At Montreal on Saturday night.
- Senators: Host Chicago on Saturday night.
