It’s now happened in four straight games: an early multi-goal deficit for the Lightning before a rally. This result against Ottawa was an important regulation win against a divisional opponent—the Senators (who have only nine games remaining) now trail the Lightning by 10 points in the standings.
The Lightning did not start well. Just 18 seconds into the game, Dylan Cozens fired a right-circle shot that got past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Minutes later, Vasilevskiy made two difficult saves in succession before Jordan Spence scored on the third Ottawa attempt—he slammed the puck into an open net at 4:25.
Throughout the first period, the Senators were quicker than the Lightning. They created chances with their speed and used their sticks to disrupt Lightning plays. Vasilevskiy made nine first-period stops in all, including a breakaway save on Brady Tkachuk to keep the deficit at two. At the other end of the ice, the Lightning struggled to create good looks on James Reimer. Although they attempted 29 shots in the frame, they managed to put just eight on net. The Sens blocked 12 others while nine missed the net.
But in the second period, the Lightning raised their urgency level. They improved their execution, allowing them to play at a faster pace. They also did better at getting pucks to high-danger areas. One of those plays yielded Tampa Bay’s first goal. Charle-Edouard D’Astous skated to the side of the net, drawing Reimer out of the crease. D’Astous slid the puck back in front, where Brandon Hagel shot it into an open net at 3:37. Less than two minutes later, the Lightning tied the game. Following a forechecking steal behind the Ottawa net, Yanni Gourde fed D’Astous in the high slot, and D’Astous snapped a shot past Reimer’s stick at 5:14.
Although the rest of the second period was scoreless, the Lightning dictated play. They finished the middle stanza with a shot attempt advantage of 32-13.
The Lightning broke the tie at 8:51 of the third on a play that began with a defensive-zone steal. From behind the Lightning net, Tim Stutzle centered a pass to the slot. But Hagel intercepted it and countered. Emil Lilleberg joined the three forwards to create a four-on-two. Hagel set up Lilleberg in front of the net, and Lilleberg backhanded the puck into the top of the net.
The Sens pushed hard over the final 10 minutes to tie the game. They owned most of the possession during that timeframe and enjoyed numerous offensive-zone faceoffs (several of which came after the Lightning iced the puck and couldn’t change players). But despite ceding possession, the Lightning hung in defensively. They didn’t yield the same high-danger chances they gave up in the first period, although Vasilevskiy made another key save on a Tkachuk chance off the rush.
With time winding down and the Sens hoping to pull Reimer for an extra attacker, the Lightning netted a crucial insurance goal. Corey Perry delivered an outlet to Jake Guentzel, who got behind the Ottawa defenders and scored on a breakaway at 17:48. He finished his shot over Reimer’s glove as Ridly Greig attempted to disrupt him from behind. The goal made it 4-2, and the Sens would get no closer.
The Lightning played this game without Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul, both of whom were out due to illness. We’ll see if either can return for tomorrow’s home contest against Nashville.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Charle-Edouard D’Astous — Lightning. Goal and assist.
- Emil Lilleberg — Lightning. Career-high three points. GWG and two assists.
- Yanni Gourde— Lightning. Assist.
