Brodeur makes 23 saves in NHL debut, Senators beat Wild 4-1

Sens’ Mike Brodeur beats Wild in NHL debut

OTTAWA — Mike Brodeur carried a shutout into the third period in his NHL debut, and Erik Karlsson scored his first career goal, leading the Ottawa Senators to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

Brodeur, who isn’t related to New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur, stopped 22 shots in his first career start after backing up Brian Elliott for 13 straight games.

Minnesota played as scheduled after a fire in an equipment van outside Scotiabank Place on Friday destroyed much of its equipment.

Karlsson, Ottawa’s top pick in the 2008 draft, scored for the first time in 21 games 2:55 into the third to give the Senators a 4-0 lead.

Anton Volchenkov, Milan Michalek and Jarkko Ruutu also scored for Ottawa, which had lost two of three, including a 4-2 loss at New Jersey one night earlier.

Mike Fisher and Jonathan Cheechoo each recorded their 300th career points for the Senators.

Niklas Backstrom, wearing mostly replacement gear after most of his original equipment was burned in the fire, made 20 saves for the Wild.

Martin Havlat spoiled Brodeur’s shutout bid with his fifth goal at 4:40 of the third. Nick Schultz, who bought new shoulder pads at a local sporting goods store, assisted on the goal along with Clayton Stoner, who picked up his first career point in his second NHL game.

In addition to scrambling to find replacement equipment for a number of its players, the Wild were short-handed on the ice. Minnesota dressed 17 skaters after a flu bug that knocked Eric Belanger and Robbie Earl out of the lineup also forced Guillaume Latendresse to return to the team’s hotel before the team’s pregame warmup.

Brodeur was called up from Binghamton of the AHL after Senators No. 1 goalie Pascal Leclaire broke his jaw Nov. 23 when he was struck by a puck while sitting on the bench during a 4-3 shootout loss to Washington.

Fisher got his 300th point with an assist on Volchenkov’s second goal of the season 18:05 into the first.

Michalek made it a 2-0 lead with his 16th goal 24 seconds into the second, and Cheechoo picked up his 300th point with an assist on Ruutu’s seventh goal at 17:50.

NOTES: The Wild recalled G Anton Khudobin from Houston of the AHL, just in case Backstrom or backup Josh Harding were unable to dress for the game. … The Senators played their third game without C Jason Spezza, who was lost to a knee injury in Monday’s 3-2 loss in Toronto.