Tampa Bay Lightning takes revenge on the Ottawa Senators with a close win

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The Ottawa Senators came up short in their attempt to strike down lightning twice Thursday night.

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Trying to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second time in less than a week, the Senators failed with a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

After scoring a 4-0 win over the Bolts at home on Saturday, the Senators knew this would be an entirely different challenge on the road. The biggest change was at the net as the club faced top goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy after substitute Brian Elliott made a mediocre effort in Ottawa.

Only Thomas Chabot could put Ottawa on the scoreboard as goalkeeper Anton Forsberg’s five-game winning streak came to an end. The senators had hoped to score a sweep at the Sunshine State after an 8-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, but it wasn’t meant to be.

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Forsberg stopped 25 of 26 shots and gave the Senators a chance to win, but this was a very close game.

Vasilevskiy was solid as the Senators pushed to try to tie this for third with 24 total saves. The Bolts scored the first power play goal Ottawa has given up in five games and that was the difference in this one.

With five wins in their last six games in this contest, the Senators have certainly lived up to the level of competition in this stretch and their effort in this cannot be blamed. Ottawa has not won in Tampa since a 6-4 win over the Bolts on November 10, 2018.

“They are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and that’s certainly exciting for our guys,” coach DJ Smith told reporters in Tampa on Thursday morning. “We got them last week at the end of a trip and certainly without some guys, they are healthier now and they are the team that should be in our league.

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“They pose threats in all areas, so we must be prepared when the puck drops. We have to limit the rush of strange men and limit their possibilities, they are just a good team. “

The Senators ended the game without veteran defender Nikita Zaitsev. He left with a right leg injury after getting caught on the boards with Ondrej Palat early in the first. Zaitsev was unable to put weight on his leg as he made his way down the tunnel with what appeared to be an ankle or knee injury.

“Everybody is having a little more time on the ice,” veteran blueliner Nick Holden told TSN after the second when asked about Zaitsev’s absence. “We just have to make sure our shifts are short so we can stay cool and defend in the way we need to.”

Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Senators had been outscored 18-16 by the Bolts, but the club shouldn’t have had many complaints about the way they were playing. It didn’t help that Tampa had three power plays in the second and a couple were soft decisions, but that’s how it works.

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El Rayo pushed hard in the second and forced the senators to do a better job creating more opportunities.

Taking penalties against the Bolts is like playing with fire and the Senators paid for it with Captain Brady Tkachuk in the penalty area late in the second. The club allowed its first goal in 16 power play opportunities when Victor Hedman shot it through Forsberg’s five holes at 3:05 p.m. of the second.

That was the second power play of the period and the first goal the club has allowed with a man advantage since a 6-5 win over Colorado on December 4 at home.

Tampa’s Alex Killorn drew 1-1 at 3:47 of the first. Going to the net, he received a pass from Ross Colton and Killorn was able to redirect him home. Forsberg didn’t get a chance in this one because he was thrown off the play by an Artem Zub slip.

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The Senators played a perfect road period in the first and took a 1-0 lead. There weren’t many chances for either team, but when the Bolts pressed, Forsberg was there to save.

Chabot opened the scoring with his first of the season and was a beauty with Canadian Olympic team coach Jon Cooper watching from the Tampa bench. He put in a great individual effort bringing the puck close to the center, skidding into the zone and then going up the stairs over Vasilevskiy at 3:43 pm from the first.

It was Chabot’s first goal since May 1 against the Montreal Canadiens last season. He thought he had one against the Bolts on Saturday, but that was reversed when Tkachuk put him in front. There was no question about this and it was a great way to extend his scoring streak to six straight games.

“I was very happy to finally get that,” Chabot told TSN after first period.

The Senators will close this trip this Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers and will return home to face the Boston Bruins on Sunday at 5 pm.

You can expect to see defense prospect Jacob Bernard-Docker against the Flyers. He has been scratched three times since he was called from the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville last week.