Merilainen’s 24 saves, three-straight goals, and more: 3 reasons why Ottawa Senators won 3-2 over Dallas Stars

The Ottawa Senators edged out the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. With the win, the Senators inch closer to a playoff spot. The Sens are one point off the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and two off the first. The loss ended the Stars’ seven-game winning streak.

Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle, and Matthew Highmore scored for the Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, Jason Robertson got his 11th of the year to open the scoring for Dallas, with Evgenii Dadonov getting a late power-play goal to make the game close.

So, here’s a look at the three key reasons why the Ottawa Senators defeated the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.

3 reasons why Ottawa Senators won over Dallas Stars

#3 Strong, physical game

The Ottawa Senators played a strong, physical game against the Stars. The Sens outhit the Stars 24-6, matching the Stars’ tight-checking, grinding style.

In particular, the Sens kept the Stars to 26 shots on goal, while minimizing the impact of the Stars’ top players like Roope Hintz, Matt Duchene, and Jason Robertson.

#2 Three-straight goals

The Ottawa Senators peppered the Stars with two goals less than a minute apart. Josh Norris tied the game in the second at the 3:14 mark. Then, Stutzle gave Ottawa the lead roughly 45 seconds later. The game would remain 2-1 until the 21-second mark of the third when Matthew Highmore got his first of the second.

The 3-1 lead would stand as Dallas added a late power-play goal. However, the goal came with less than a minute left in the game, leaving the Stars without enough time to get the equalizer.

For Ottawa, the three straight goals were significant against the stingiest team in the league. Moving forward, the Sens will be looking to continue capitalizing on whatever opportunities they can get to score.

#1 Merilainen continues his hot streak

Ottawa’s starting netminder Leevi Merilainen continues to impress, making 24 saves against the Stars. His performance avenged a 4-2 loss back on January 2 in which Dallas tagged Merilainen for four tallies.

Merilainen’s emergence this season has been a huge boost to the team, especially after number-one goaltender Linus Ullmark went on IR.

Moving forward, the Sens will be counting on their tandem of Merilainen and Anton Forsberg to shoulder the load until Ullmark comes back.

The Senators will get the day off on Monday before facing off against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at home. The Senators and Islanders are trending upward, so the game should prove to be a tough, but entertaining contest.