Pinto nets OT winner to lift Sens to 4-3 victory, Avs lose MacKinnon, Makar to injury

OTTAWA — Shane Pinto celebrated his birthday in style Thursday night scoring his second goal of the game 2:08 into overtime to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson also scored for the Senators (12-6-2).

Linus Ullmark returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 21 and made 26 saves.

The Avalanche lost more than the game. Superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar did not finish the game due to lower-body injuries in the second period.

MacKinnon left the game with just over eight minutes remaining after taking a check from Artem Zub in the hip area and was seen grabbing his right side. Makar was injured moments earlier.

Arturi Lehkonen, Parker Kelly and Gabriel Landeskog scored for the Avalanche (11-6-3). Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 shots.

Kelly, who had left the game in the second period, tied the game 2-2 with a short-handed goal at 3:54 of the third.

The Avalanche took their first lead at 10:03 on the power play with Landeskog scoring a snap shot from the top of the slot.

The Senators tied it with 3:56 remaining when Batherson snagged a loose puck in the crease and buried his 10th of the season to send it to overtime.

Takeaways

Senators: With Ullmark back in goal, the Senators played with an added level of confidence.

Avalanche: Despite falling behind early and losing players to injury, the Avalanche stuck to their game.

Key Moment

Pinto, who turned 26, intercepted a pass in Colorado’s zone and fired a wrist shot in for the winner.

Key Stat

Zub played his 400th career game, becoming the seventh defenceman to reach that milestone as a Senator.

Up next

Senators: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Avalanche: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press