Senators Glide Past Avs

The Ottawa Senators are quite comfortable among the NHL's best teams.

"I think we're one of them, too," Patrick Lalime said after earning his team record 23rd win of the season to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 4-1 victory Thursday night over the Colorado Avalanche.

Alexei Yashin and Shawn McEachern each had a goal and an assist as Ottawa won its third straight, including Wednesday's 3-2 victory at New Jersey, to open a four-point lead over the Devils atop the Eastern Conference.

"We responded pretty well," Lalime said. "We played our tempo tonight and that's the way we have to do it. We had a big road game last night and we came up with a big win again at home tonight."

Daniel Alfredsson and Magnus Arvedson also scored for the Senators.

Lalime, who stopped 25 shots, snapped the Senators' single-season record for wins that was shared by Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt. That duo each had 22 wins during the 1998-99 season.

"When you win, it's a team thing," Lalime said. "I give credit to everybody. Those 23 wins, there are a few more to go and we've just got to keep looking for them."

Yashin scored his 27th goal of the season just 52 seconds into the second to make it 2-0 and assisted on McEachern's 20th the 200th goal of his carer on a power play at 9:57 to put Ottawa ahead 3-0.

"It's always nice to score in a big game like this, but it's nice to get 200," McEachern said.

Colorado's Dan Hinote ruined Lalime's shutout bid when his wrap-around shot beat the Senators goalie between the legs 9:51 into the third.

"I thought he was going to shoot earlier than that," Lalime said. "I didn't know he had that much time to go around (the net). I just took a chance and it hit my stick."

Arvedson restored Ottawa's three-goal lead when he beat rookie goalie David Aebischer with a sharp wrist shot for a short-handed goal at 13:29.

Aebischer, who got the start as Patrick Roy was rested, fell to 7-5-3 in 17 games.

"David has had his ups and downs," Colorado coach Bob Hartley said. "I don't think his confidence has been very high lately. Late in the season, we're looking for good outings from David, and tonight wasn't one of them."

Milan Hejduk had the Avalanche's best scoring chance before Hinote's goal. His back-hander, off a rebound from in close, late in the second got behind Lalime and struck the right post.

Lalime also made a big save with just under 13 minutes left in the third when he sprawled to his right to stop Joe Sakic's shot from the edge of the crease.

"Everybody kind of counted him out before the season, that he wasn't going to be the man," McEachern said. "And he's been the man for us all season."

Colorado, which beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday, lost for the fifth time in six games.

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