The timing couldn’t have been better for Craig Anderson to get his first win in almost two full months.
The Ottawa Senators goalie, who recently returned to the lineup after missing 19 games with an ankle injury, made 33 saves for the shutout. The Senators defeated the plummeting New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-0 on Friday evening, and moved two points clear of the surging New York Islanders into sole possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, fifth in the East, are now only one point ahead of Ottawa.
“Our goaltender was a big part of the game, our penalty killing was a big part of the game, and we found a way to win the game,” Senators head coach Paul MacLean told the Ottawa Sun.
“I thought they played probably better than we did and deserved a better fate, but we’ve been there before, on this trip, where the stats sheet looks real good for us but the scoreboard doesn’t, and we’re going to take it.”
Not only was Anderson spectacular stopping pucks, he created a bit of controversy with what looked to be a butt-end to the face of Devils’ forward Adam Henrique near the side of the Senators net.