Until the Lightning broke things open with three late goals, this was a close, tense game. As they did in their win on Tuesday over the Senators, the Lightning made key plays that enabled them to pick up another crucial regulation victory.
Unlike Tuesday, when Ottawa was finishing up a back-to-back, the Senators entered this game having recharged their batteries during an off-day on Wednesday. They controlled the early minutes and received a power play at 2:02 with a chance to grab the lead. Instead, Tampa Bay successfully killed the infraction and gained momentum in the process. At 7:28, the Lightning went on the power play for the first time. They used a different look on the primary unit, employing both Victor Hedman (at the point) and Darren Raddysh (at the left circle). Those two joined Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Jake Guentzel. With five seconds left on the man advnatage, the Lightning converted. Kucherov set up Point in the slot. Anton Forsberg stopped Point’s shot but couldn’t control the rebound. Guentzel swept it in at 9:23.
The Sens began the second period similarly to how they started the first. They applied heavy pressure and drew a penalty. Once again, the Lightning got through the kill unscathed. But this time, they were unable to reverse momentum. For much of the first 10 minutes of the second, the Sens strung together long, offensive zone shifts. Ottawa helped its cause during this segment of the game by winning most of the faceoffs, so the Sens began many shifts with possession. Eventually, they tied the game. Mike Amadio tipped a Tim Stutzle point shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy at 5:27. Soon after, Jake Sanderson was called for tripping. Not only did the Lightning not convert on the ensuing power play, they allowed a two-on-one rush when Sanderson exited the penalty box. Sanderson passed the puck to Matthew Highmore for an open look, but Vasilevskiy stopped the shot. Just over a minute later, Ryan McDonagh delivered a long outlet pass to Brandon Hagel at center ice. Hagel moved behind Thomas Chabot and pushed Chabot’s stick out of the puck’s path. The puck slid past Chabot to Hagel, who had an open lane to the net from the Ottawa blue line. Hagel tucked the puck between the pads of Forsberg at 10:14, reestablishing a Lightning lead.
The Lightning delivered a much stronger second half of the middle period. They were cleaner with their breakouts, won more puck battles, and erased Ottawa’s faceoff advantage. This helped them alleviate some of that Ottawa pressure, but they were not able to extend the lead. The score remained 2-1 through 40 minutes.
Predictably, Ottawa pushed hard in the third period in an attempt to tie the game. At times, the Sens pinned the Lightning in the Tampa Bay defensive zone. Ottawa also looked to create chances off the rush. But the Lightning battled hard defensively to limit high-danger chances against. Brady Tkachuk had a Grade-A look from the slot in the opening minute, but that was the toughest third-period shot Vasilevskiy faced while the game was still 2-1. Erik Cernak and Gage Goncalves both made defensive plays to disrupt potential rush chances, which also helped the Lightning’s defensive cause.
With less than four-and-a-half minutes remaining, the Lightning netted the all-important insurance goal. Goncalves rimmed a puck from the left circle around the boards to Kucherov at the right circle. Kucherov passed the Point in the slot. Point’s shot fluttered over Forsberg’s left shoulder and into the top of the net at 15:44.
On Tuesday, the Sens cut a two-goal deficit to one with a six-on-five goal. They almost did it again in this game. But Claude Giroux’s open look from the bottom of the left circle hit the crossbar. Less than 30 seconds later, Cernak cleared the puck from his own zone. It ricocheted off a stanchion and caromed directly into the open net at 19:05. With Forsberg back on the ice, the Lightning added a final goal at 19:34. Mitchell Chaffee finished a rebound from the left circle.
Entering this two-game set, the Lightning were four points behind the Senators in the standings. Had they lost both of these games in regulation, they would have trailed by eight points. By winning both in regulation, they moved into a standings tie with Ottawa.
Two more critical divisional games await the Lightning this weekend, as they travel to Detroit and Montreal for a pair of afternoon contests before breaking for the Four Nations Faceoff.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 26 saves.
- Brayden Point — Lightning. Goal and two assists.
- Gage Goncalves — Lightning. Assist.
