Matt Murray backstops Senators to shutout of Canucks for 3rd straight win

Thatcher Demko stopped 22-of-24 shots in his first game back from Vancouver’s’ COVID-19 outbreak. The Canucks goalie last played on March 24.

Vancouver (18-19-3) still has a 4-1 edge in the nine-game season series between the two teams.

WATCH | Senators blank Canucks:

Ottawa scores twice on the power-play and Connor Brown adds an empty-netter as they defeat Vancouver 3-0. 0:58

Ottawa remains at the bottom of the North Division standings, a single point behind Vancouver. The Canucks have seven games in hand.

Vancouver pulled Demko with three minutes to go, but couldn’t beat Murray with an extra attacker.

Brown buried a shot on the empty net with 90 seconds left on the clock.

The Canucks outshot the Senators 31-25 over the course of three periods.

After a shaky first, Vancouver pressed in the middle frame, outshooting the Sens 12-7 across the period.

Murray made some big stops to preserve Ottawa’s lead, including a beautiful glove save on Quinn Hughes where he snatched the puck out of mid-air.

The win marked the 26-year-old goaltender’s second shutout of the season and the 13th of his career.

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Rob Pizzo looks at nine moments in the NHL where age was only a number. 2:21

Batherson put the Sens up 2-0 with a power-play marker before the end of the opening period Thursday.

A puck trickled through the legs of Vancouver’s Tyler Myers, stationed at the top of the Canucks crease, and Batherson quickly pounced, firing it in to the yawning net for his 16th of the season.

Josh Norris had an assist on the play, extending his point streak to six games with three goals and six assists across the stretch.

The Sens were 2 for 4 with the man advantage on Thursday while the Canucks failed to capitalize on four power plays.

There were lots of fireworks in the first period Thursday, prompting a flurry of whistles.

About five minutes in, Brady Tkachuk hit an unsuspecting Matthew Highmore at centre ice. Vancouver defenceman Travis Hamonic took offence to the play and immediately jumped Tkachuk who responded by dropping his gloves.

The fisticuffs ended with Tkachuck in the box for fighting. and interference and Hamonic heading to the dressing room for instigating and fighting.

Hamonic’s penalty was initially called a game misconduct but he returned to the ice in the second period.

Thursday’s battle was the first in a series of four straight games between the two sides. They’ll meet again in Vancouver on Saturday.