Tim Stutzle and Stephen Halliday each had a goal and an assist for the Ottawa Senators, who spoiled the return of former teammate Brady Tkachuk with the 5-1 win against the visiting Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
Claude Giroux, Shane Pinto and Warren Foegele also scored for Ottawa, which has won five of its past seven games. Jake Sanderson had two assists, and Linus Ullmark made 16 saves before leaving early in the third period with a lower-body injury. Samuel Ersson replaced him and stopped the only shot he faced.
Tkachuk scored for the Panthers in his first return to Ottawa since the former captain was traded to Florida in June for a slew of draft picks. He was greeted by boos and negative chants from the crowd.
Akira Schmid made 25 saves for the Panthers, who had won three in a row.
Tkachuk gave Florida a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal midway through the first period.
Artem Zub was in the box serving one of the 11 first-period penalties when Tkachuk received a pass while stationed to the side of the crease. He quickly spun to face Ullmark and shoved the puck under the goalie’s pads for his seventh tally of the season.
The Senators were on a power play when Stutzle tied it 1-1 at 14:13 of the first.
Stutzle took a slap shot from just above the hashmarks that was blocked by Seth Jones. The puck caromed to Sanderson in the left circle, and he quickly passed to Stutzle at the inside edge of the right circle for the goal on a one-timer.
Giroux gave the Senators a 2-1 lead at 9:34 of the second period. He received a back pass near the left point, skated above the hashmarks and scored with a wrist shot while Dylan Cozens provided a screen.
Sanderson fed the puck ahead to Pinto, who had just one player to beat, but he held off Niko Mikkola as he slid the puck under a sprawled Schmid to make it 3-1 at 17:18 of the second.
Foegele scored short-handed with a one-timer from the left hashmarks off a feed from Cozens to make it 4-1 at 7:58 of the third, and Halliday added the night’s final goal when he scored off a short-handed rush at 14:57.