Tuesday night saw a low for the Ottawa Senators' season. After losing 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres, the Senators were swept in their season series against the Sabres for the first time in 31 years.
Now, it's back to work in the middle of the playoff chase against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Senators will now attempt to avoid losing their third consecutive game against the Lightning.
Sens host Bolts in Ottawa
The Senators host the Lightning at Canadian Tire Centre with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Tuesday resulted in the same old, same old with another loss against the Sabres for the Senators. The Sabres outscored the Senators 17-5 in the four games combined this season.
If one big spot came out of the loss it was Jake Sanderson recording his first 50-point season of his career. Sanderson's third period goal helped him become the first Senators defenseman since Thomas Chabot in the 2018-19 season to record 50 points in a season.
As for the Lightning, they come into tonight's game with a 44-25-5 record. The Lightning have won their past four consecutive games with the most recent being a 4-1 road win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Nikita Kucherov is tied for the most points in the NHL with 111 points and is second in the NHL with 78 assists. Brandon Hagel is second on the Lightning with 81 points. Brayden Points leads the Lightning with 38 goals.
The Senators have not played the Lightning since their two February games in Tampa. The Senators fell in both games after looking at the games as playoff games at the time.
However, in the one and only meeting of the season in Ottawa on Oct. 19, the Senators won 5-4. In the win, Sanderson and Drake Batherson each recorded a three-point game.