The Senators defeated the Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday night to ensure a return to the postseason. Alex Kovalev and Jason Spezza scored in a shootout to cap Ottawa's dramatic victory over Carolina. Erik Karlsson scored his second goal of the game with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation to draw the game even. "We worked hard throughout the whole year and it's obviously nice," said Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. "We kind of knew, even though we clinched it today, that we were going to be in but it's nice to continue winning and we've got a good feeling and we're looking forward to the next week and then the playoffs."