In a game decided by inches and nerve, the Ottawa Senators found the kind of late touch elite teams covet. Drake Batherson’s deft deflection with 1:58 left in the third period punctuated a narrow 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, a win secured by composure at the blue paint and sturdy work in goal. Linus Ullmark’s 24 saves formed the base, Nick Cousins provided the early spark, and Ottawa answered a late push with just enough structure to escape a coin-flip finish.

A net-front lesson in winning time

Batherson’s winner wasn’t about flash so much as feel. With less than two minutes on the clock and bodies layered in front, he established position, presented his stick, and redirected the puck through traffic. It’s the kind of hard-area goal that defines tight games in this league: a shot redirected inches off target line, taken from a place where defenders drape and goaltenders see late. The summary says it plainly—a tip in front as the clock bled out—but the implications run deeper. Ottawa trusted the simplest route to a goal when the moment was most complicated.

That sequence distilled a broader truth about the Senators’ approach. In the third period, patterns simplify. Cycle plays get shorter. Everything funnels toward the crease. By getting a puck through and a stick available, Ottawa traded style for probability—and probability paid off. For Batherson, a forward capable of both playmaking and finish, it was a timely reminder that his best work often stems from taking root in the tough areas rather than waiting for space to appear.

“More tips, more screens, more rebounds—this is the version of Ottawa that closes games.”

Ullmark’s calm, 24-save backbone

Every one-goal win features a handful of saves that don’t make the highlight loop but change the math. Ullmark supplied those throughout, finishing with 24 stops and projecting the kind of calm that flattens chaos in front of him. When the Ducks surged late, Ottawa needed controlled first saves and assertive positioning to keep play predictable. Ullmark delivered, buying time for defenders to sort assignments and for centermen to collapse into shooting lanes.

There’s a subtle psychological ripple here, too. A composed goalie allows a bench to stay patient. Sticks stay on the ice, not in passing lanes that pull structure apart. The Senators’ ability to withstand Anaheim’s late push owed much to the tenor Ullmark set; his night didn’t require fireworks, just steadiness—exactly what this particular game state demanded.

“Ullmark doesn’t just make saves; he changes the temperature of the third period.”

Depth matters: Cousins sets the tone

Scoring balance is a marker of teams built for the grind, and Nick Cousins provided a key piece of it by opening the scoring for Ottawa. For a veteran who has carved a career out of forechecking and utility minutes, being first on the board does more than tilt a scoreboard. It validates a game plan and rewards the bottom-six investment in predictable, repeatable hockey. Goals from your grinders—or any depth forward—tend to come from the same playbook: retrievals, net drives, and second efforts. Cousins’ opener fit the blueprint and gave Ottawa a platform to manage the night on their terms.

Why this 3-2 says something

Scorelines like this are never just about one shot. The Senators didn’t simply find a hero with two minutes left; they earned the right to be in a position where a single touch could decide it. That means managing risk in the neutral zone, limiting odd-man rushes, and shortening shifts when momentum starts to tilt. It means understanding when to chip past pressure instead of threading a pass through it.

In that sense, Ottawa’s finish—punctuated by Batherson’s deflection—looked like the next step in a team learning to close. One-goal games demand an identity. Ottawa’s on this night was clear enough: patient, direct, and comfortable with a little discomfort around the crease.

“If the Sens keep winning the blue paint, the standings will take care of themselves.”

Ducks show push—but not quite the final touch

The Ducks didn’t fade; they surged. A late rally forced the Senators to protect the middle, win defensive-zone draws, and live in shot lanes. Anaheim’s pressure was credible and sustained—the kind that flips a game with one bounce. That Ottawa held it off says plenty about structure, but it also hints at where the Ducks can grow next: creating clearer sight lines in front and turning zone time into layered threats, not just volume.

Momentum doesn’t always end with the horn. Coaches often talk about “banked” momentum—pressures and habits that carry into the next outing. The Ducks may not have found the equalizer, but the template was there: pace up ice, heavier support below the dots, and a willingness to challenge the interior late. Those are building blocks even in defeat.

The turning point—and the blueprint

Hockey is a sport of micro-margins, and few plays illustrate that better than a controlled deflection in traffic. Batherson’s winner with 1:58 remaining didn’t require an odd-man rush or a defensive breakdown; it required a puck to the net and a stick set at the right angle. Ottawa will take more of that, because the logic is unassailable: when the clock shrinks, increase your time-on-target. In that regard, the Senators didn’t just win—they reinforced a blueprint built on pucks delivered, sticks ready, and a goaltender who makes the next shift feel safer than the last.

Bottom line

The Senators’ 3-2 victory over the Ducks checked the boxes winning teams need to check. Depth scoring arrived on time via Nick Cousins. Linus Ullmark supplied the essential calm with 24 saves. And when the game was there to be claimed, Drake Batherson found the net-front touch that separates could-have from did. Ottawa still had to survive a final Anaheim rush, but that’s part of the examination. On this night, they passed it.

File it as more than two points. File it as a reminder that games turn not on the spectacular but on the repeatable. Tips. Screens. Timely saves. Ottawa had them all, and in a league where 3-2 is often the language of spring, that vocabulary matters in November.