In a contest where two big-time trade acquisitions were playing their first game with a new team it was a guy playing a milestone contest who stole the show.
The Ottawa Senators got a huge two points in Madison Square Garden on Thursday, helping them stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. While Patrick Kane was wearing No. 88 for the Rangers for the first time and Jakob Chychrun was making his Senators debut, Derick Brassard — a former Ranger on his second tour of duty with the Sens —propelled the Sens to a 5-3 victory with a pair of goals in his 1,000th NHL game.
Brassard’s second of the game came just 1:35 into the third period and pulled Ottawa even at 3-3 before the visitors were able to tack on two more and claim the win. He’s just the seventh player in league history to have a multi-goal showing in game No. 1,000.
He’s also on a bit of a hot streak overall. After registering just 11 points in his first 37 games, Brassard now has five goals and 10 points in his past 12 outings.
The 35-year-old spent 254 games with the Rangers before he was swapped for Mika Zibanejad in 2016. Originally selected sixth overall in the 2006 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brassard played just one full season with Ottawa before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2019 trade deadline. He’s skated for six more teams since then, returning to Ottawa on a professional try out before inking a one-year deal with the squad in October.
Now “Big Game Brass” has lived up to his reputation again by earning his sliver stick on a night his real stick couldn’t miss.
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