The Lightning outlasted the Senators in a wild back-and-forth third period, earning a 6-4 victory at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night.
Brayden Point recorded a hat trick and Nikita Kucherov added a goal and four assists to pace the offense.
Jonas Johansson earned his fifth win of the season in goal, stopping 24 shots.
The win is Tampa Bay’s first over a division rival of the season and snaps a four-game road losing streak.
The Bolts now head to Toronto where they’ll face the Maple Leafs on Monday night.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
OTT 1, TBL 0
12:58 Brady Tkachuk (7) – Mathieu Joseph, Jake Sanderson
It was an eventful shift for former Bolt Mathieu Joseph on the game-opening goal. After taking a hit from Zach Bogosian that sent him flying into the Tampa Bay bench, Joseph got back in the play and fired on net from the right circle. Brady Tkachuk had positioning on Brayden Point in front and redirected the shot past Jonas Johansson.
OTT 1, TBL 1
17:05 Victor Hedman (2) – Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point
The Bolts got set up in the cycle play on a lengthy shift in the Ottawa zone. Victor Hedman eventually stepped up from the point to the front of the net and Nikita Kucherov’s deflected pass got through to the defenseman to chip past Joonas Korpisalo.
2nd Period
TBL 2, OTT 1
0:32 Brayden Point (3) – Nikita Kucherov, Jonas Johansson
On a 2-on-1 rush in the opening minute of the middle frame, Point protected the puck from a trailing Tim Stutzle and ripped home a wrist shot to give Tampa Bay the lead.
TBL 3, OTT 1
4:57 Mikey Eyssimont (3) – Anthony Cirelli
Mikey Eyssimont had Alex Barre-Boulet on his right on another odd man rush and tried to get him the puck. The feed was blocked but fell back to Eyssimont, allowing him to split the Ottawa defensive pair. As he fell to the ice, Eyssimont managed to lift a backhander over Korpisalo’s shoulder for a beautiful goal. The Senators opted for a change in net following the goal with Anton Forsberg taking over between the pipes.
TBL 4, OTT 1
18:19 Brayden Point (4) – Nikita Kucherov
The Lightning extended the lead to three with less than two minutes to play in the second period. Off an offensive zone faceoff win, Nikita Kucherov’s shot was deflected on its way through to Forsberg. The redirection caused the puck to squeak through Forsberg’s pads and Point was on hand to jam it home in the blue paint for his second goal of the night.
3rd Period
TBL 4, OTT 2
1:17 Claude Giroux (3) – Tim Stutzle, Jacob Bernard-Docker
Ottawa began the third with a strong shift and was rewarded with a quick goal that trimmed the Lightning’s lead to two. From the high slot, Claude Giroux fired a one-timer that beat Johansson through an inadvertent screen set by Brandon Hagel.
TBL 5, OTT 2
9:38 Brayden Point (5) – Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov – PPG
Point completed his hat trick with a power play goal midway through the third. Open at the far side of the net, Point redirected home a shot from Steven Stamkos to stretch the lead back to three.
TBL 5, OTT 3
11:08 Brady Tkachuk (8) – Josh Norris – PPG
After baiting Tanner Jeannot into an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to send the Senators to the power play, Tkachuk converted on the man advantage to keep Ottawa in the game. Josh Norris lost the puck at the right circle, but Tkachuk pounced on it and fired a shot past Johansson.
TBL 6, OTT 3
11:26 Nikita Kucherov (7) – Alex Barre-Boulet
Just 14 seconds later, Nikita Kucherov answered right back. Hedman held the play in at the blue line and eventually Alex Barre-Boulet fed Kucherov at the side of the net for a goal that marked his fifth point of the night.
TBL 6, OTT 4
12:14 Drake Batherson (2) – Brady Tkachuk
Once again, the Senators would trim the Lightning’s lead back down to two. Drake Batherson went unmarked in front of the net, taking a feed from Tkachuk, and firing a shot past an outstretched Johansson in tight.
