Erik Karlsson scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway with 2:19 remaining in 3-on-3 overtime as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Monday at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.

Karlsson's winning rush began with a great defensive play on the opposite end of the ice by Bobby Ryan that barely denied the Stars. Karlsson outraced Dallas' Tyler Pitlick and found a small hole between the legs of Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen for the goal.

Tyler Seguin began the scoring and gave Dallas an early lead at the 4:36 mark of the first period. Working on the power play, Seguin flipped a shot in front from the goal line that deflected off Ottawa defender Ben Harpur's skate and into the net past Senators goaltender Craig Anderson. Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg received assists on the goal.

Lehtonen took over in goal for Dallas at the beginning of the second period after Ben Bishop sustained a lower-body injury midway through the first period and played through it.

The Senators tied the game with a power-play goal of their own by Mike Hoffman with just 1.4 seconds to play in the second period. Mark Stone and Matt Duchene got assists on the tally.

Ottawa grabbed a 2-1 lead 6:36 into the third quarter when Duchene snapped a wrist shot from the circle that squeezed through the arm of Lehtonen and into the net. Assists on the score went to Karlsson and Mark Borowiecki.

Seguin tied the game on his second goal, punctuating a determined Dallas attack that saw the puck in the Ottawa zone for more than two minutes by finding the net over the left shoulder of Anderson with 1:08 to play. Mattias Janmark and Dan Hamhuis got assists on the score, which sent Dallas into its third straight overtime game.

The Stars currently hold the first wild card from the Western Conference and are fourth in the Central Division, one point behind Minnesota.

The Senators are 15 points behind Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Dallas heads to league-leading Nashville for a match on Tuesday while the Senators return home to battle Buffalo on Thursday and Calgary on Friday.

--Field Level Media