- Drake Batherson scored three goals and added an assist in a 7-4 Senators win over the Rangers
- The hat trick is his third in the NHL, and it came on rope hat giveaway night in Ottawa
- Read below for the empty-netter that sealed it, plus Jonas Johansson’s Senators debut
Drake Batherson got his hat on hat night.
The Senators winger scored three goals and added an assist in Ottawa’s 7-4 win over the Rangers on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre. It’s the third hat trick of his NHL career, and it landed on a night the Senators handed out rope hats to the first 7,000 fans through the door.
Watch all three of his goals:
Batherson opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first, beating Dylan Garand blocker side after a Jake Sanderson feed from the slot. He made it 3-0 early in the second when Dylan Cozens slid him a kick-pass in front and he lifted it over Garand.
The third one was the weirdest. With the Rangers pushing and Garand on the bench, Batherson blocked an Adam Fox point shot, the puck bounced all the way down the ice, and it dribbled into the empty net with 12 seconds left. It’s his third career hat trick, and the three he’s scored at home tie Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa for the most in Senators history.
Batherson called it “a weird one” afterward but said he’d take it.
Ottawa looked like it would cruise early. Tim Stutzle made it 2-0 at 6:40 of the first, his league-leading sixth first-period goal of the season. Cozens added another in the second to make it 4-1.
Then the Rangers made it interesting. Will Cuylle scored short-handed, J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafreniere added goals, and Pavel Dorofeyev cut it to 5-4 with 4:28 left after Sanderson’s rebound goal had pushed the lead to 5-3. Michael Amadio added an empty-netter at 18:46, and Batherson’s followed to finish it.
Sanderson had a goal and two assists, with the goal being his first of the season. Jonas Johansson stopped 24 shots in his Senators debut after coming over from Tampa Bay in a Sept. 25 trade. Johansson said the game “could have went either way.”
Sanderson talked about the setup for the Senators, who leave on a road trip next:
“Big win at home before a long road stand,” Sanderson said.
The Senators improved to 8-4-0 and have won three of their last five. They visit Vegas on Tuesday, and they head out without Eklund, who is out 10-12 weeks after surgery.
The Rangers fell to 7-5-1 and have lost two straight. Fox picked up two assists and has seven in his last three games. New York hosts the Kings on Monday.
