Senators at Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have quite a hill to climb if they are to reach the playoffs for the fourth straight season, and that became clear Sunday after impending unrestricted free-agent goaltender Ben Bishop was traded to Los Angeles. The Lightning continue their quest to get back in the race Monday with Andrei Vasilevskiy in the crease as they host the Atlantic Division-rival Ottawa Senators.
“Our plan was that, at some point, we were going to turn over the starting goaltender duties to (Vasilevskiy),” Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman told reporters of the decision. The Lightning still are seven points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference despite going 5-1-2 in their last eight games and may not be done making moves before Wednesday’s trade deadline, but they can make up ground Monday against a team in playoff position. Ottawa, which has split a pair of meetings with Tampa Bay this season, is just two points out of first place in the Atlantic after holding on for a 2-1 victory at Florida on Sunday. Mark Stone (neck) and Mike Hoffman (groin) both returned from injuries in the victory while leading scorer Erik Karlsson (54 points) assisted on both goals.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (33-21-6): Mike Condon may get the call in net Monday in the second game of a back-to-back set, but Craig Anderson has given Ottawa quite a boost since returning to the lineup this month, posting a .947 save percentage in six games. Stone, who is second on the team with 47 points, registered three shots and Hoffman matched him while chipping in with an assist against Florida. Kyle Turris scored his 21st goal Sunday - moving within one of Stone for the team lead - and Zach Smith added his 15th for the Senators, who are 2-1-0 on their four-game road trip and 17-11-0 away from home on the season.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (27-25-8): Bishop is 5-0-0 in his last five starts, but his status at the end of the season and the need for cap space with the 22-year-old Vasilevskiy signed for the next three years aided Yzerman’s decision. Vasilevskiy (11-13-5, 2.81 goals-against average, .909 save percentage) is winless in his last five decisions, but three of those losses came after regulation and he has allowed two goals or fewer in five of his last eight starts. Peter Budaj, who was outstanding while filling in for the injured Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles, comes to Tampa Bay in the deal along with 6-3 defensive prospect Erik Cernak, a seventh-round pick in 2017 and a conditional draft choice.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 23 goals and 54 points – five in his last two games – and has registered 18 shots in the last three contests.
2. Ottawa C Phil Varone, who was recalled from the American Hockey League on Saturday, played 5 minutes, 21 seconds on Sunday in his first NHL game since Dec. 11.
3. Lightning LW Jonathan Drouin (17 goals, 36 points) was back at practice this weekend after missing Thursday’s 3-2 loss to Calgary due to illness.