Lightning bolt past slumping Senators 6-4

By Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press on November 4, 2023.

OTTAWA – The Tampa Bay Lightning held off a third period rally by the Ottawa Senators Saturday night, thanks to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov who each had multi-point games in the 6-4 win.

Point had three goals and an assist, while Kucherov had a goal and four assists for the Florida visitors.

Victor Hedman and Michael Eyssimont also scored for the Lightning (5-3-3), while Jonas Johansson stopped 22 shots.

The Senators (4-6-0) have struggled of late going 1-5-0 in their last six and fans were calling for head coach D.J. Smith’s firing throughout the game.

The Senators trailed 4-1 to start the third, but cut the lead in half on Claude Giroux’s third of the season.

The Lightning regained the three-goal lead on Point’s third of the night, but Brady Tkachuk scored his second of the night on the power play to keep Ottawa in it. Kucherov made it 6-3 just 16 seconds later, but Ottawa continued to fight back and Drake Batherson made it 6-4 with just under eight minutes to play.

The Lightning scored three unanswered goals in the second to take a 4-1 lead.

Just 32 seconds into the period, Point came down the wing and beat Joonas Korpisalo high. Four minutes later Eyssimont battled his way through Jake Sanderson and Travis Hamonic and got a shot off to beat Korpisalo, who was then pulled after allowing three goals on 19 shots.

Tampa took a three-goal lead late in the period when Anton Forsberg, who also allowed three goals on 19 shots, lost sight of the puck and Point was able to just get it across the goal line.

The game was tied 1-1 after the opening 20 minutes.

Tkachuk opened the scoring tipping a Mathieu Joseph shot from in close, but with three minutes left Hedman tied the game with his second of the season.

INTERESTING FACT

Ottawa’s Claude Giroux and Josh Norris joined the list of players willing to wear neck guards in a game.

NOTES

The Senators are without five regulars in the lineup. D Thomas Chabot (hand), D Artem Zub (head), D Erik Brannstrom (head), C Ridly Greig (lower body) and RW Mark Kastelic (ankle). “¦ LW Roby Jarventie, making his NHL debut, and RW Zach MacEwen were recalled from AHL Belleville. “¦ Tampa’s Tyler Motte (hand) practised Friday, but is not ready to return.

UP NEXT

Senators: Head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs Wednesday night

Lightning: Take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Monday night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2023.

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