Karlsson goal gives Game 1 to Sens

OTTAWA (CP) — Erik Karlsson was hoping for a good bounce and got a great one.

Karlsson’s shot from an almost impossible angle beat Henrik Lundqvist with less than five minutes to go in regulation and snatched Game 1 for the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. The 26-year-old’s first attempt was blocked by Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, but the second — the shot leaving his tape from below the goal-line — somehow found its way past the Swedish netminder who’d been nearly unbeatable to that point.

“Just wanted to get the puck in there and hope for a good bounce, and got a great bounce,” said Karlsson. “Those are always nice to get. And I think that the amount of pucks that we put at the net, we deserved one of those.”

It was the last of 43 shots at Lundqvist and the first goal of the playoffs for the Ottawa captain.

“We know that if we want to score goals we’re going to need lots and lots and lots of shots on Lundqvist,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said after the 2-1 win.

“Anything below 40 shots, really, we’re not going to score anything. We know that.”

Lundqvist was spectacular in keeping it close all evening long for the Rangers, but Karlsson was the story yet again.

He played almost 29 minutes in the series-opening win and notched that fateful game-winner — his first in an NHL post-season. This follows a first round against Boston in which he rung up six assists in more than 30 minutes per game while playing with two hairline fractures in his left foot.

“It’s been so consistent that I guess I got used to it,” Boucher said of Karlsson’s play. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I don’t think you should ever get used to that. I think our fans have to appreciate what we have here. It’s more than a star right now. That’s what I think is unbelievable. He’s a skilled player that became a star and now he’s a winner.”