Frank Nazar nets OT winner as Blackhawks best Senators

Frank Nazar’s goal 48 seconds into overtime gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the host Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Nazar scored on a shot from the top of the right circle on the rush off a pass from Connor Bedard, who earlier netted two goals.

Joe Veleno also scored for the Blackhawks (25-46-11, 61 points), who played their final game of the season. Spencer Knight made 34 saves.

Nick Cousins, defenseman Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson got the goals for the Senators (44-30-7, 95 points), who have one regular-season game left before facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dylan Cozens had two assists and Anton Forsberg stopped 12 shots.

The game was tied 3-3 after two periods despite Ottawa’s 31-9 shots advantage.

Batherson’s power-play goal with 4:54 left in the second tied it at 3. The tally came right off a faceoff from the right circle just five seconds after the man-advantage situation began.

Bedard’s second goal of the game gave Chicago a 3-2 lead 2:24 into the middle period. The shot from the left circle was his career-high 23rd goal.

That came just 1:05 after Chabot’s power-play goal from the high slot knotted it at 2-2.

Bedard opened the scoring 1:28 into the game on Chicago’s first shot. Off the rush, be beat Forsberg with a snap shot from the top of the left circle. Veleno made it 2-0 at 6:13 with another shot off the rush, this time from the high slot. The fluttering shot dipped and went under Forsberg’s glove.

It only took 43 seconds for Cousins to respond as he had a breakaway in off left wing and beat Knight.

Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk missed his eighth consecutive game with an upper-body injury but is expected to be ready for the playoffs.

The Senators rested forward Claude Giroux and defensemen Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen in preparation for the playoffs.

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