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Heatley scores twice in return as Senators fend off Panthers

Feb 8, 2008 - 5:00 AM OTTAWA (Ticker) -- Dany Heatley's return could not have come at a better time for the Ottawa Senators.

Heatley scored two goals - including the game-winner - and added an assist in his return from injury to lead the Senators to a wild 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

All-Star Jason Spezza and defenseman Wade Redden each had three assists and blue-liners Christoph Schubert and Joe Corvo contributed a goal apiece as Ottawa snapped a three-game skid.

"I don't know if it was getting (Heatley) back or not, but we definitely had a little more jump tonight," Ottawa coach John Paddock said. "That was certainly evident in the second period, and I think it showed in the third period when the game was on the line."

The win gave the Senators some breathing room over Montreal, which had cut a 10-point deficit in the Northeast Division to one. But the Canadiens lost, 4-2, to Toronto on Thursday, giving Ottawa a three-point edge.

"This was a big win for us," Redden said. "Obviously, getting the two points was important, but we wanted to come out and do the things we've been talking about in our meetings and getting things back on track here."

Ottawa, which had lost eight of 11 games prior to this one, is glad to have Heatley back. The two-time All-Star suffered a separated shoulder on January 12 but returned early to help the Senators to a much-needed win.

"Obviously, (Heatley) makes a big difference for our hockey club," Spezza said. "We were pretty happy to hear the news he'd be coming back tonight. He's a 50-goal scorer and having him back in the lineup put a smile on a lot of faces around here."

The 2002 Calder Trophy winner snapped a 4-4 tie with his 27th goal at 7:26 of the third period, gathering a rebound on the left side and fired it into a wide-open net during a power play.

"I felt pretty good out there," Heatley said. "I might have been a bit rusty at times, but overall, I'm happy with the way I played. Getting the win is the most important thing, especially the way things have been going for us lately. So it was great to be able to help out and score a couple of goals."

Ray Emery, who stopped 29 shots, preserved the lead as he made a key save on David Booth late in the third while Florida had an extra attacker on the ice.

"It's been frustrating recently, so hopefully this will give us something we can build on," Emery said. "Even though they scored four goals tonight, I think we played a responsible game."

Captain Olli Jokinen scored his team-leading 27th goal and set up another and Richard Zednik recorded a pair of assists for the Panthers.

"We knew they would have some new life with (Heatley) coming back," Jokinen said. "But we also knew if we played our game, we could maybe surprise them and get a win here tonight."

The final period was calm compared to a seven-goal second session in which both teams seemed to score at will. After Florida struck first in the opening period, Ottawa scored three times in a span of 5:47 in the second.

But the Senators proceeded to give the lead right back as the Panthers tallied twice in 45 seconds to tie the game at 3-3 with 10:04 left in the period.

Florida rallied from the 3-1 deficit with a pair of power-play goals. Brett McLean scored his seventh of the season at 9:19, and Nathan Horton netted the equalizer on a slap shot at 10:04.

Defenseman Chris Phillips restored the lead for Ottawa when he put back a rebound with 6:29 remaining in the period. However, Jokinen knotted the game once again by flipping a floating shot over Emery 46 seconds later.

Tomas Vokoun, who stopped 24 shots in an 8-0 victory over Toronto on Tuesday, turned aside 29 in this one.

Booth opened the scoring with 3:41 left in the first for Florida, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

"Both teams played well enough to win this game tonight, so it's frustrating to lose," Jokinen said.