Drake Batherson delivers with a hat-trick as Senators survive Rangers rally

Senators centre Tim Stützle gets his team off to a quick start against the Rangers on Saturday night, tipping a shot past New York netminder Dylan Garand for a first-period goal. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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SENATORS 7, RANGERS 4

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Give a tip of the cap to Drake Batherson.

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He picked up his third National Hockey League hat-trick by putting this game away with an empty-netter.

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The Ottawa Senators made this harder than it needed to be, but they still found a way to collect two points.

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After watching a comfortable lead evaporate, Jake Sanderson’s first goal of the season midway through the third period proved to be the winner as Ottawa Scored a 7-4 victory over the New York Rangers at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night.

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The Senators improved their record to 8-4-0 with the victory, only the fourth time ever the franchise has had eight wins in October, capped by the empty-net goals from Batherson and Michael Amadio.

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Dylan Cozens and Tim Stutzle also chipped in with goals.

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Senators winger Drake Batherson beats Rangers goalie Dylan Garand with a shot for his second goal of the night during second-period action. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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The Senators looked good for 33 minutes, then they allowed the Rangers back into this one. Goaltender Jonas Johansson, making his first start for the Senators, had to hold the fort in the third period as New York poured it on.

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The Senators didn’t test New York goalie Dylan Garand nearly enough in the third until Sanderson beat him on the first shot Ottawa registered in more than 11 minutes, giving the home team a 5-3 lead.

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Pavel Dorofeyev brought the Rangers back within a goal with 4:28 left.

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Unexpected start for the Senators

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The decision to start Johansson was a mild surprise.

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The Senators will be without injured top goalie Linus Ullmark for at least the next 10 days, and this was an opportunity to give the struggling Samuel Ersson a start with one day’s rest.

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Senators goalie Jonas Johansson makes a toe save during the first period of Saturday’s contest against the Rangers. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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“(Johansson is) going to play. Linus is going to be out for a week or two. We thought it’d be best to get him in tonight,” Senators head coach Travis Green said before the game. “Sam just played the other night. He’s played well in Belleville. He’s played a lot in the NHL, so we’ll get him in tonight.”

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You have to wonder if the Senators will be able to withstand the loss of Ullmark. Johansson gave up three goals on 19 shots through 40 minutes, which had to be a cause for concern.

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Johansson’s last NHL start was with the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 7, coincidentally also at the Canadian Tire Centre. He gave up five goals on 26 shots that night as the Senators won 6-2. The 31-year-old has played 105 games in the NHL during his career, so it’s not like he lacks experience.

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Rangers crawl back in it

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The Senators looked like they were in control when they pulled ahead 4-1 in the second period, but goals by J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière allowed the Rangers to pull within a goal.

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You could hear the sigh of relief when Cozens scored his first of the season at 11:21 of the period to end a scoring drought dating back to April 15 of last season.

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Senators centre Dylan Cozens smiles after a puck bounces off one of his skates and past Rangers netminder Dylan Garand for a goal in the second period. The goal was the first of the season for Cozens. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Getting the struggling power play going would help Ottawa greatly.

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The Senators went into their game against the Rangers with only six goals in 49 opportunities this season. That had them ranked No. 29 in the NHL with a 12.2 per cent success rate.

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For the second straight game the Senators surrendered a short-handed goal. A turnover by Jake Sanderson resulted in a 2-on-1 break, and Will Cuylle got the Rangers on the board by beating Johansson at 10:07 of the second period.