After last night's 5-2 win against the Nashville Predators, the Ottawa Senators earned their fifth consecutive win to improve to 29-20-4 on the season. Now, the Senators will play the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time since October.
Tonight is the first of three consecutive games in the state of Florida for the Senators, with the first two being played in Tampa in a three-night span. Tonight's game will also have an impact on the Atlantic Division race.
Senators face Lightning in Tampa
The Senators travel to Amalie Arena to face the Lightning with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Tonight is the conclusion of the fifth back-to-back for the Senators.
Last night against the Predators, the Senators didn't panic. After the Predators tied the game at two under one minute into the third period, the Senators offense exploded for three goals for the remainder of the period. Shane Pinto recorded his fifth game-winning goal of the season and David Perron at last scored his first goal as a Senator. Anton Forsberg made 25 saves to earn his fourth win over his last five starts.
As for the Lightning, they come into tonight's game with a 27-20-4 record. The Lightning have lost five of their last seven games with the most recent game being a 3-2 overtime loss on Saturday night against the New York Islanders at home.
Nikita Kucherov is third in the NHL with 52 assists and 76 points. Brayden Point leads the Lightning with 28 goals, and newly acquired Jake Guenztel is fourth on the Lightning with 51 points and is second on the team with 26 goals.
The Senators won the first meeting against the Lightning 5-4 on Oct. 19 in Ottawa. In the win, Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson recorded three points each. Three of the Senators' five goals came on special teams. Two came on the powerplay and one came shorthanded.
The Senators are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 62 points. The Lightning are currently out of a playoff spot with 58 points. Both teams are eager to gain ground on each other with the standings getting tighter with each game played.