1. The set up:
Tonight will be the third match up between these divisional opponents with the two splitting the first two meetings in Ottawa early in this campaign.
The Sens look to regain their footing following back-to-back disappointing losses to the Ducks and Blackhawks. Before this recent hiccup they looked like the team that we all thought they would be at the onset of this season. Winners in eight of 12 with 18 points in that stretch, the Sens were making up ground in the playoff race in a hurry. With the power play unit starting to find their way in recent games converting three of their last eleven chances, look for them to regain that momentum as they try to pick up points in the playoff race.
The Lightning enter tonight's contest looking to move out of a Wild Card spot and into a Divisional playoffs spot, currently sitting just one point back of the Maple Leafs. The Lightning boast the leagues best power play converting 30.2% of their chances. Helped of course by the NHL point leader Nikita Kucherov (94 points) who along with Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning with 12 power play goals each. That offensive power along with their stalwart goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy who boasts a 0.899% save percentage while allowing only 2.90 goals per game, this Lightning team is a force to be reckoned with.