Senators inch closer to potential post-season berth with 5-1 win over Panthers

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Ottawa took a 3-0 lead 3:03 into the third period. Artem Zub grabbed a Jake Sanderson rebound and snapped a shot to the far side for his fifth of the season to beat Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 25 shots.

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The Panthers (37-38-4) finally solved Linus Ullmark, who made 21 saves, at 14:17 of the third. A.J. Greer found Jesper Boqvist at the top of the slot and squeezed a shot under Ullmark’s right arm.

Claude Giroux added an empty-net goal with 3:17 remaining to put any hope of a comeback out of reach. Nineteen seconds later, Zetterlund scored his second of the game.

Both teams generated a few good chances in the second but both Ullmark and Bobrovsky were solid.

Bobrovsky made a huge glove save on a Tim Stutzle breakaway early in the period, while Ullmark had Gustav Forsling shaking his head after he foiled his attempt late in the period.

Standing in front, Drake Batherson redirected a Sanderson shot on the power play for his 32nd of the season to open the scoring 6:49 into the first period.

With three minutes left in the period, Zetterlund took a Lars Elllers pass and wristed it over Bobrovsky’s shoulder.

With a depleted blueline, Florida recalled defencemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson from their American Hockey League affiliate. The two made their NHL debut Thursday.

Takeaways

Senators: Ottawa played a solid game at both ends of the ice from start to finish.

Panthers: Florida played hard but just couldn’t contain the Senators.

Key moment

Trailing 2-0 in the second, Bobrovsky robbed Stutzle on a breakaway.

Key stat

The Senators have outscored their opponents 17-6 during their three-game winning streak.

Up next

Senators: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Panthers: Head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press