Claude Giroux collected his 1,000th NHL point and the game-winning score while recording two goals and an assist to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
Giroux entered the game with 998 points but reached the milestone before the first intermission. The veteran forward scored at 5:51 of the first period, then picked up his 1,000th point assisting Tim Stutzle's goal at the 17:26 mark.
With the score tied 2-2 in the third period, a turnover near center ice sprung Shane Pinto for a partial breakaway. Giroux followed up with a backhand shot at the 9:37 mark for his 34th goal of the season, his 1,001st career point and his 52nd career game-winning goal.
Ottawa (39-35-7, 85 points) has won its last two games. While the Senators will miss the playoffs, they finished their home schedule with a solid 24-14-3 record on home ice.
Stutzle added his 50th assist of the season. Brady Tkachuk had two assists.
Mads Sogaard stopped 27 of 29 shots, coming up particularly big against a Carolina flurry in the final moments of regulation.
The Hurricanes (50-21-9, 109 points) remain in first place in the Metropolitan Division, but are only one point ahead of the New Jersey Devils and two points ahead of the New York Rangers. A victory on Monday would've clinched Carolina at least a second-place finish and home-ice advantage in at least one playoff series.
Brett Pesce and Brent Burns scored for the Hurricanes, who fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score on Burns' power-play marker at 2:23 of the third period. Martin Necas assisted on both goals. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 of 32 shots.
Carolina is 7-9-1 in its last 17 games, with only 39 goals scored.
Giroux is the 96th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point threshold, with Joe Pavelski of the Dallas Stars also joining the club on Monday. Pavelski collected his 1,000th point with a goal in the Stars' 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
--Field Level Media
Carolina | Ottawa | |
Martin Necas 2 | Points | Claude Giroux 3 |
Brent Burns 1 | Goals | Claude Giroux 2 |
Martin Necas 2 | Assists | Brady Tkachuk 2 |
Brent Burns 1 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Frederik Andersen .906 | Save Percentage | Mads Sogaard .931 |
Frederik Andersen 29 | Saves | Mads Sogaard 27 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Carolina | 29 | 2 | 1-5 | 6-6 | 14 | 29 |
Ottawa | 32 | 3 | 0-6 | 4-5 | 12 | 34 |