Claude Giroux broke a third-period tie and added an assist, rookie Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves and the Ottawa Senators beat Utah 3-1 on Sunday night.

The Ottawa Senators limped back to home ice after being shut out in the final two games of a recent road trip. While the Senators were struggling as a team, a few key players were being held from the scoresheet at obscene rates.

The wrinkle for Giroux and the Senators is that the parties face a contractual dilemma. The veteran is in the final year of his three-year, $19.5 million contract that he signed on July 13, 2022. Giroux can test the open market this summer as an impending unrestricted free agent.

The Senators swept their third straight back-to-back weekend as they beat the Utah Hockey Club by a score of 3-1.

Cale Makar scored twice and set up the tiebreaking goal by Artturi Lehkonen with 15 seconds remaining as the revamped Colorado Avalanche blew a pair of two-goal leads before earning a dramatic 5-4 victory over the host New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

Claude Giroux scored the game-winner and broke a long personal scoring drought as the Senators defeated the Utah Hockey Club 3-1.

OTTAWA -- Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves, and the Ottawa Senators won 3-1 against the Utah Hockey Club at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.

Utah Hockey Club did not have much left come the third period. The team was tied 1-1 with the Ottawa Senators at the beginning of the final 20 minutes, but allowed two goals against and dropped its second consecutive game Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre.

Giroux recorded a goal and an assist in Sunday's 3-1 win over Utah. Giroux found the twine with his lone shot on target, and that goal snapped a 13-goal scoring drought for the 37-year-old veteran. He wasn't done with the goal,

Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves, and the Ottawa Senators won 3-1 against the Utah Hockey Club at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. Merilainen, a rookie who is 5-1-1 in his past seven starts, stretched to make a pad save on a bat from Logan Cooley to keep it 3-1 at 18:14 of the third

Claude Giroux was one of three Ottawa skaters to end lengthy droughts as his third-period game-winner propelled the host Senators to a 3-1 victory Sunday over the Utah Hockey Club.

Utah's lone goal came on a flukey bounce in the second period. Clayton Keller sent a pass into the slot that was intended for Logan Cooley, but it hit off Ottawa's Ridly Greig and into the back of the net. It was Keller's 18th goal of the season and extended his point streak to seven games.