Senators G Dylan Ferguson beats Pens in first NHL start

Goaltender Dylan Ferguson made 48 saves in his first NHL start and Drake Batherson scored a power-play goal with 2:09 left in regulation to give the visiting Ottawa Senators a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

From the top of the crease, Batherson fended off Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin and swatted the puck inside the left post for the winner.

Thomas Chabot also scored for the Senators (34-31-5, 73 points), who snapped a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) but have earned points in back-to-back games.

Ferguson, 24, had made one previous NHL relief appearance, in November 2017 while with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Rickard Rakell scored for the Penguins (34-26-10, 78 points), who have lost four in a row.

Their defeat combined with Florida's win at Detroit dropped Pittsburgh out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Panthers for the second wild card. The Penguins are trying to extend the NHL's longest active streak to 17 straight postseason appearances.

Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry made 19 saves.

The Penguins played without four regular defensemen -- Dmitry Kulikov, Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta and the most recently injured, Marcus Pettersson.

Chabot gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 16:46 of the first period. Near the right point, Chabot took a feed from Claude Giroux and wove down the near circle, eluding Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin. He then flipped the puck far side past Jarry's blocker.

At the end of two periods, Pittsburgh had peppered Ferguson with 32 shots to no avail. Late in the second, the Penguins had a huge advantage in puck possession for several minutes, aided by two Senators icing calls, but Ferguson held firm.

Ottawa entered the third with one goal on 13 shots.

Included in Ferguson's big saves were uncontested shots by Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel and Malkin.

Rakell finally broke through for the Penguins, tying it at 14:39 of the third. From the low slot, his shot hit the right post and squeaked through despite strong coverage by Ferguson.

--Field Level Media

1/3: Mar 20, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Claude Giroux (28) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

2/3: Mar 20, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Austin Watson (16) stretches on the ice during warmups before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

3/3: Mar 20, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Ottawa Senators center Patrick Brown (38) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports