Point gets shootout winner, Lightning edge Senators
TAMPA, Fla. -- Brayden Point scored the deciding goal in a shootout to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 victory against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde and Vladislav Namestnikov scored in regulation for Tampa Bay, which improved to 8-1-0 in the past nine games. Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov both finished with two assists.
Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves through regulation and overtime and stopped both shooters in the shootout.
Bobby Ryan, Cody Ceci and Derick Brassard had the goals for Ottawa. Senators goalie Craig Anderson stopped 35 shots, including five in overtime.
The Senators opened the scoring, in part due to the pressure they put on the puck.
Ryan zipped down the middle for a quick breakaway chance that was stopped by Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay defenseman Dan Girardi collected the rebound and tried to clear the puck across the crease but instead hit teammate Braydon Coburn in the shin. The puck deflected in to the net for an own goal that was credited to Ryan at 6:31 of the first period.
Ottawa carried that lead in to the second period, though the ice started to tilt in Tampa Bay's favor and the chances finally started to come for the highest scoring team in the league. During a delayed penalty call on the Senators, the Lightning tied the game as Kucherov found space at the right circle and zipped a wrist shot that deflected in off the skate of Johnson for his ninth of the season at 11:59.
Ceci regained the lead for the Senators as he came down on a partial two-on-one and patiently waited as he skated through the crease and beat Vasilevskiy with a backhand at 14:34. Gourde pulled the Lightning even again, tapping in wraparound chance by Cory Conacher, for his 11th of the season at 15:40.
Ottawa regained the lead with a power-play goal as Brassard deflected an Erik Karlsson shot, his third goal in the past two games, at 5:59 of the third period.
Tampa Bay answered again when Anderson robbed Hedman and Namestnikov pushed in the rebound for his career-high 15th goal of the season with 8:55 remaining in the third.
NOTES: Ottawa D Dion Phanuef missed the game after he and his wife, Elisha, welcomed their first child, Zaphire. His status for the Saturday game at Florida is unknown. ... The Senators placed C Gabriel Dumont, who started the season with Tampa Bay, on injured reserve due to an ankle injury. ... Ottawa recalled C Filip Chlapik and D Andreas Englund, both of whom were scratched. ... Tampa Bay C Tyler Johnson and D Jake Dotchin both returned to the lineup after missing the Tuesday game with the flu. ... Johnson scored his 98th career goal, tying Chris Gratton for ninth on the all-time Lightning franchise list. ... The Lightning scratched D Slater Koekkoek and D Andrej Sustr. ... Ottawa RW Bobby Ryan took the opening shift of the third period and did not return.