The Ottawa Senators pulled off a surprising 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in their regular-season finale on Tuesday night. Jiri Smejkal scored his first career goal in the second period, followed by Jakob Chychrun scoring less than a minute later to secure the win for the Senators. Artem Zub added an empty-net goal in the final minutes, while Anton Forsberg made 34 saves to lead Ottawa to victory.
The Bruins, who had a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division title, fell short in their last game of the season. Pavel Zacha scored Boston’s only goal, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Senators’ strong performance. Linus Ullmark made 17 saves for the Bruins, who missed out on the division title by just one point.
In other NHL action, the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated a depleted Carolina Hurricanes team 6-3, with Zach Werenski leading the way with two goals and two assists. The Hurricanes, who finished second in the Metropolitan Division, rested several regular players in their final regular-season game.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals secured a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, thanks to T.J. Oshie’s goal into an empty net in the closing minutes of the game. The Capitals will face the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.
Overall, it was an eventful night in the NHL as teams wrapped up their regular-season campaigns and prepared for the upcoming playoffs.