Ullmark makes 36 saves, Senators defeat Predators

OTTAWA -- Linus Ullmark made 36 saves, and the Ottawa Senators handed the Nashville Predators their seventh straight loss, 3-1 at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

“I think that we played a really solid 60 minutes,” Ullmark said. “Had some really big blocks at crucial moments, which also shows how much we wanted it today, because it takes a lot of [guts] to do it. I really appreciate that whenever they do it, because sometimes there [were] a lot of bodies in front, a lot of big bodies.”

Ullmark is 3-0-1 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his past four starts.

“I'm happy with what we're achieving at the moment, as a team,” Ullmark said. “And we win as a team, we lose as a team, and that's something that's the most important part in this locker room at the moment, that it's not a one-man show. It's all about us. It's all about ‘we,’ and it's all about the team.”

Jacob Bernard-Docker, Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins scored, and Tim Stutzle had two assists for the Senators (12-12-2), who are 4-1-1 in their past six games.

“The record speaks for itself a little bit,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “We’ve played some good hockey as of late. We’re still grinding. We’re finding our game again.”

Fedor Svechkov scored, and Juuse Saros made 27 saves for the Predators (7-15-6), who are 0-4-3 in their past seven. Nashville has been outscored 23-11 during that span.

“Our goaltending has been incredible all year,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “They’re feeling it like everyone else is feeling it. It’s a pretty heavy cloud here. We’ve got to try and break free.”

Bernard-Docker gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 5:07 of the second period. Bernard-Docker, the trailer on a rush, took a cross-ice pass from Stutzle and scored with a wrist shot into the top left corner from the top of the right face-off circle. It was his first goal of the season.

“I think we feel that things are kind of starting to come together,” Bernard-Docker said. “And we're starting to build on games, which, early in the season, wasn't really happening. It kind of felt like we'd win one, lose one, win one, lose one, so it's nice to have a little momentum.”

Giroux pushed it to 2-0 at 16:52 when his pass intended for Adam Gaudette deflected in off the skate of Predators forward Steven Stamkos near the left post.

“It seems like a lot of the time we’re not giving up a ton,” Nashville defenseman Luke Schenn said. “It’s just, for whatever reason, we’re having a hard time putting the puck in the back of the net. Every guy in there is obviously frustrated.”

At 5:11 of the third period, Ullmark stretched out to make a left-toe save on Zachary L'Heureux, who tried to finish a deke on the backhand from in tight.

“I think overall we played a really good game, stuck together,” Stutzle said. “Didn't really give them a whole lot. And if we gave them something, ‘Ully’ was there and he did an outstanding job.”

Cousins made it 3-0 at 12:37, scoring on a breakaway with a snap shot to the blocker side.

Svechkov beat a heavily screened Ullmark with a wrist shot from the left circle at 18:03 for the 3-1 final.

“It’s tough. We’re kind of in one here right now,” Brunette said. “I thought the effort was there. A couple mistakes there in the second period, and when you’re not scoring goals, they’re hard to recover from. So, a little bit of a redundancy, the same old song and dance here a little bit, but you appreciate the effort. The effort is there. We’ll break free at some point.”

NOTES: The Predators have scored two goals or fewer in each game during their skid. … Senators forward Drake Batherson had and eight-game point streak and six-game assist streak end. … With the 39th multiassist game of his NHL career, Stutzle tied Wade Redden for the fifth most in Ottawa history.