National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Ottawa 3, Philadelphia 1
When: 12:30 PM ET, Saturday, April 11, 2015
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Francis Charron, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Scott Driscoll
Attendance: 17027

PHILADELPHIA -- Ottawa right winger Mark Stone scored twice and goaltender Andrew Hammond stopped 34 of 35 shots to lead the Senators past the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, on Saturday.

Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau added a goal, his 10th, for Ottawa.

In the process, Ottawa completed its improbable run to the playoffs, clinching a spot on the season's final day.

As of Feb. 10, Ottawa was one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, 14 points back in the playoff race. Since then, the Senators went 23-4-4 to secure their place in the postseason.

Hammond has played a very large role in the Senators' surge, winning 20 of 23 games since being called up from the AHL.

Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason made 19 saves in the loss and Flyers right winger Matt Read notched his 24th goal of the season.

Ottawa opened the scoring at the 6:06 mark of the first period, less than a minute after Flyers left winger Michael Raffl was called for high sticking.

Senators left winger Clarke Macarthur shot the puck as he came down the wing, but missed the net to Mason's right.

Mason tried to control the puck, but Ottawa center Kyle Turris crashed the net and stole the puck off Mason's stick, sending it right back to Macarthur who passed to Stone in the slot before Mason could get back in position.

Stone's quick shot resulted in his 25th goal of the season and a 1-0 Ottawa lead.

Macarthur almost made is 2-0 later in the period. Stone stole the puck from Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann and quickly slipped it to Macarthur who was all alone a few feet in front of the net, but his shot sailed wide.

Philadelphia, which had greatly outshot Ottawa in the first period but had nothing to show for it, finally broke through just 1:23 into the second period on a goal by Read.

Flyers center Brayden Schenn skated behind the Ottawa net from the right side with Senators defenseman Eric Gryba draped over him, but Schenn broke away, skated to the left circle, and slid a pass across the crease to Read.

The puck hit Read's left skate, but he was able to quickly gather it in and slip the puck just inside the right post to tie the game, 1-1.

The Senators pulled back in front, 2-1, on Pageau's goal with just under four minutes remaining in the second period.

For the second time in the game, Ottawa capitalized on Mason's inability to control the puck as Ottawa center Curtis Lazar's shot in front of the net bounced back to Pageau who pushed it home as he crashed the net.

Philadelphia almost tied it with less than two minutes left in the second period when Raffl fired a shot that trickled through Hammond's pads, but the Ottawa goaltender managed to make the save.

Stone extended Ottawa's lead to 3-1 after picking the pocket of Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek near the right circle. Stone sent the puck through the five-hole of Mason for his second goal of the afternoon and 26th of the season.

Philadelphia will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, posting its worst record in a non-shortened season since the 2006-07 season, when they were 22-48-12.

Ottawa will await the conclusion of the NHL schedule on Saturday to learn who it will face in the first round of the playoffs.

NOTES: Ottawa G Andrew Hammond was a big reason for the Senators' surge, winning 20 of 23 games since his AHL call-up early in February. ... Philadelphia D Brandon Manning was signed to a one-year contract for the 2015-2016 season. He had been a potential unrestricted free agent. ... For the Senators, G Robin Lehner (concussion) and RW Chris Neil (thumb) were out. F Milan Michalek (concussion) and F Matt Puempel (ankle) had been listed as day-to-day and remained out. Additional scratches included D Jared Cowen and C Colin Greening. ... Flyers C Vincent Lecavalier did
Top Game Performances
 
Ottawa   Philadelphia
Mark Stone 2 Points Matt Read 1
Mark Stone 2 Goals Matt Read 1
Curtis Lazar 1 Assists Sean Couturier 1
Mark Stone 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Andrew Hammond .971 Save Percentage Steve Mason .864
Andrew Hammond 34 Saves Steve Mason 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Ottawa 22 3 1-4 2-2 4 30
Philadelphia 35 1 0-2 3-4 8 29
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Senators have a W/L % of .512 after a win and .538 after a loss.