Johnson scores twice as Lightning double up Senators 4-2

OTTAWA - Tyler Johnson had two goals and Nikita Kucherov had two assists Sunday to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The Lightning took a 3-2 lead into the third period and increased that to 4-2 at the 7:58 mark on Johnson's second goal of the game, just three seconds after Chris Phillips emerged from the penalty box to put an end to the Lightning power play.

The Senators played out the game shorthanded as their captain Erik Karlsson took a double minor in the dying minutes for hooking and then unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Lightning (25-12-4) also got goals from Victor Hedman, who also had an assist, and Steven Stamkos. Ben Bishop made 20 saves and improved to 6-0-2 against his former team.

Ottawa (16-15-7) got a goal and an assist from Kyle Turris, along with another goal from Mark Stone, but saw their two-game winning streak come to an end. Robin Lehner made 26 saves.

The Senators would have been hard pressed to get a better start than they did Sunday when Turris scored just 32 seconds into the first period.

Clarke MacArthur was carrying the puck around the Tampa goal and reversed it back to Turris at the side of the goal. Turris then beat Bishop with a quick shot over the left shoulder just inside the far post.

That would account for the only scoring of the first period but the teams combined for four goals in the second— three of which came from the Lightning.

Hedman got the Lightning on the board and tied the game 1-1 at 3:48 with a shot from the slot as all five Senators on the ice were scattered around Lehner.

A little under four minutes later the Senators took their second lead of the game when Stone scored just four seconds following the conclusion of a power play.

Stone's shot from the inside the circle beat Bishop just inside the post at 7:30 following a setup from Turris.

The Lightning then turned a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead in a span of 47 seconds before the end of the period.

Johnson tied the game on the power play at 16:08 when he took a cross-ice pass from Kucherov and beat Lehner with a quick shot. Senators defenceman Eric Gryba's failure to clear the puck out of the zone allowed the Lightning to maintain pressure and eventually score.

Then Stamkos did what he does best and scored to give the Lightning their first lead of the game. Stamkos gained control of the puck in the Ottawa end, circled behind the net and cut back in front before sliding the puck between the post and the outstretched glove of a fallen Lehner.

The Lightning will conclude their four-game road trip when the visit the Canadiens in Montreal Tuesday.

The Senators meanwhile, will take on the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday as they open a four-game road trip.

Notes- Defencemen Marc Methot and Chris Wideman were scratches for the Senators Sunday while defencemen Radko Gudas and Mark Barberio along with forward J.T. Brown were scratches for the Lightning…Senators forwards Clarke MacArthur has recorded at least one point in his last four games…Tyler Johnson not only leads the Lightning in points with 43, he also leads the NHL in even-strength points with 36…Prior to Sunday's games, Johnson also led the league with a plus-26 while teammate Nikita Kucherov was second with a plus-25.