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Sens snap 11-game skid with win over Oilers

Feb 12, 2011 - 11:19 PM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Alex Kovalev registered two goals and set up Peter Regin's game-winner in the third period, as the Ottawa Senators snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over Edmonton at Rexall Place.

Milan Michalek and Bobby Butler also tallied for the Senators, who last found the win column on January 13 at the New York Islanders. Ottawa is now 2-12-3 since the calendar flipped to 2011.

"You can go around the room and it's a pretty sweet victory for everybody that's involved," said Ottawa defenseman Chris Phillips.

Brian Elliott made 15 saves to notch his first win since December 26.

Dustin Penner scored two goals for Edmonton, which has dropped six of seven. Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 20-of-24 shots in defeat.

"We felt like we were in the game, we could have easily won," said Edmonton forward Andrew Cogliano.

Saturday's game featured the bottom-two teams in the league. Only the Oilers -- with 40 -- have fewer points than Ottawa's 44.

Michalek netted a power-play goal to give the Senators a 3-2 lead at the 8:03 mark of the third period. Michalek parked himself in front of Khabibulin and took a pass from Butler. His first shot was blocked, but he gathered the puck again and fired it past the goalie's left pad.

After Edmonton failed to capitalize on an extended two-man advantage, Regin converted a Kovalev pass on a 2-on-1 rush to make it 4-2 at 14:10.

Penner's 20th goal of the season -- off a pass from Ales Hemsky -- came with 2:21 remaining, but Kovalev hit the empty net from his own zone 58 seconds later to seal the win.

Butler, the MVP of the American Hockey League All-Star game last month, shifted to the middle of the ice and beat Khabibulin on the stick side for his first NHL tally, giving Ottawa a 1-0 lead 2:51 into the contest.

Fifty-four seconds later, Cogliano slipped the puck past Elliott to pull the home team even.

The Senators went back in front at the 7:27 mark of the first period. Khabibulin turned away Kovalev's bid from the high slot, but the rebound deflected in off the stick of Edmonton defenseman Jeff Petry.

Penner tied the game 4:11 into the middle stanza, snapping a wrist shot that eluded Elliott on the far side.

Game Notes

The Senators haven't dropped 12 in a row since a franchise-record 14-game slide from March 2-April 7, 1993...Ottawa's Jason Spezza collected two assists in his 500th NHL game...The Senators entered play with a minus-35 goal differential in the third period...Khabibulin has lost 14 straight starts...Edmonton captain Shawn Horcoff (bronchitis) did not play Saturday...This was the first of three NHL contests to take place during the 2011 Hockey Day in Canada.