Senators at Lightning
After surviving a difficult stretch to start the new calendar year, the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoyed a much-needed break to prepare for a visit from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Lightning went 6-4-1 in their last 11 games - eight of them on the road, capped by Sunday’s 5-3 victory at Carolina. It won’t get any easier for Tampa Bay against the Senators, who have gone 7-1-2 over their last 10 after blanking Washington 2-0 on Tuesday.
Craig Anderson has turned his season around in goal for Ottawa, posting a 7-1-3 mark his last 11 decisions while giving up one or fewer goals four times. Anderson will likely match up against Ben Bishop, who owns a 1.93 goals-against average and a league-best .935 save percentage. The Lightning could also see the return of top defenseman Victor Hedman, who missed the Carolina game with a lower-body injury.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, RDS, SNET-E (Ottawa), SunSports (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (29-16-5): Captain Martin St. Louis has made quite a statement after he was surprisingly left off the Canadian Olympic team roster, collecting eight goals and four assists during an eight-game point streak. The 38-year-old reached 25 goals for the 10th time in 11 seasons (he had 17 in the shortened 2012-13 campaign), meshing well with rookie linemates Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Johnson has 30 points, tied for second among NHL rookies, and Palat boasts a team-best plus-17 rating.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (22-19-9): Kyle Turris has played a big part in Ottawa’s resurgence with eight goals in the previous 13 contests – including five in the last six – and has 12 points in 10 career games against the Lightning. Bobby Ryan has only one of his team-high 19 goals in the last nine games and Erik Karlsson has 47 points, most by a defenseman in the league through Tuesday. Top-four defenseman Marc Methot left Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury and could return as Ottawa tries to avenge a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Dec. 5.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay has eight players with at least 10 goals, more than any other team in the league. Ottawa has six.
2. Ottawa LW Clarke MacArthur has produced six goals in his last nine games and 17 overall, four shy of his career high in 2010-11.
3. Lightning D Mark Barberio scored his first two NHL goals Sunday and has a plus-15 rating, second among rookie defenseman in the league.