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Senators at Lightning Game Preview: Stop making it harder

Oct 19, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) battles for position in front of Ottawa Senators goalie Anton Forsberg (31) in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Game Fifty-two: Ottawa Senators (29-20-4) at Tampa Bay Lightning (27-20-4)

Time: 7:00 PM EST

Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa

TV/Stream/Radio: FDSNSUN, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App

Odds: Lightning -175

Know the Opponents: Silver Seven Sens

What are we looking for from the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight? Well, first and foremost, a win. Picking up two points tonight, especially against the Ottawa Senators, would be a boon for the Lightning’s quest to make it back to the playoffs.

With a convincing victory, the Lightning could help make things a little easier for themselves. Coach Cooper spoke about that following the overtime loss to the New York Islanders over the weekend. The four games before the 4 Nations Face-Off are all against Atlantic Division foes that are fighting for the same playoff spot the Lightning are. Starting this stretch off with a win, and then piling a couple of more on top of it, would make their post-break lives a lot easier.

Moreso, it would be nice to see a convincing victory. It’s been some time since the Lightning have had a relatively easy third period and coasted to a victory. Their last two wins (against Los Angeles and Chicago) were competitive right up until the end, so it would probably have been the 5-1 win over Detroit back on January 18th when they weren’t competing right up until the final whistle.

Much like driving 120 miles in the city puts a lot more stress on your car than driving the same milage on the highway, playing in tight contests night-after-night puts a lot more strain on the players. It forces Coach Cooper to keep his top players on the ice more (to wit, Nikita Kucherov playing more than 25 minutes a night) while having to play every shift either tied or within a goal either way puts a playoff-like pressure on everyone on the roster.

If the Bolts can get a multi-goal lead at some point, not only would it do wonders for their confidence, it will also take some of that stress off of their shoulders.

It would also be nice if the Lightning outperformed their expected goals output, something they’ve done exactly twice in their last ten games (the Chicago and Detroit victories). It would be a good sign that they’re getting out of the scoring slump that has plagued them since the end of December. It’s good that they’re generating the chances that they are, but it would be better if they started finishing them off.

Finally, they can’t get these goals at the cost of their defense. Even as they’ve scuffled along over recent days, they’ve been playing solid defense overall. Even as they’ve gone 9-10-2 over their last 21 games, they’ve been 11th with a 2.14 goals-against per 60 minutes at 5v5. They’re also 7th in high-danger chances against at 9.54.

So, we just need a defensively-focused, multiple-goal victory against a team that has put up 16 goals in their last three games as part of a five-game winning streak. Easy.

Game Notes –

  • Linus Ullmark could return to the net for the Senators tonight. He hasn’t played since December 22nd.
  • Tampa Bay is 3-9-0 against the Atlantic Division on the season while Ottawa is 7-4-1 including a win against the Lightning back in October.
  • Conor Geekie was reassigned to Syracuse earlier in the day.
  • Based on the morning skate, Mikey Eyssimont should return to the line-up after missing the last two Lightning contests.

Potential Lines

Tampa Bay Lightning

Forwards:

Jake GuentzelBrayden PointNikita Kucherov
Brandon HagelAnthony CirelliMikey Eyssimont
Zemgus GirgensonsNick PaulGage Goncalves
Mitchell ChaffeeLuke GlendeningCameron Atkinson

Defense:

Victor HedmanDarren Raddysh
Ryan McDonaghErik Cernak
Emil LillebergNick Perbix

Goaltenders:

Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson

Ottawa Senators

Forwards:

Brady TkachukTim StutzleClaude Giroux
David PerronRidly GreigDrake Batherson
Cole ReinhardtShane PintoMichael Amadio
Matthew HighmoreZack OstapchukAdam Gaudette

Defense:

Jake SandersonArtem Zub
Thomas ChabotTravis Harmonic
Tyler KlevenNikolas Matinpalo

Goaltenders:

Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
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