Brady Tkachuk netted two goals as the Ottawa Senators triumphed over the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Sunday evening, securing the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators gained a point on the New York Islanders, now sitting in the last playoff spot with five games remaining. Ottawa trails Boston by five points for the first wild card.
Carolina is currently at the top of the Eastern Conference, holding a two-point lead over Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes missed an opportunity to secure the Metropolitan Division title.
Both teams were in the second leg of back-to-back matches, with Ottawa scoring two goals in just 3:42 during the third period to establish a 5-2 lead.
Shane Pinto extended the lead to 4-2 on a power play, slipping the puck past Frederik Andersen to the short side. Ridly Greig then raced to the net, and although Andersen made the initial stop, Tkachuk was there to capitalize and score his second of the night.
Taylor Hall of Carolina pulled one back with a wrist shot past Linus Ullmark with 2:30 left in the game, bringing the score to 5-3, but Claude Giroux sealed the victory for Ottawa with an empty-net goal.
Dylan Cozens and Tim Stutzle also contributed goals for Ottawa, while Ullmark recorded 25 saves in goal.
Defenseman Jake Sanderson reached a milestone with his 300th NHL game, adding an assist to his performance.
For Carolina, Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov also found the back of the net, with Andersen making 25 saves during the match.