SENATORS PUT UP A FIGHT, BUT GET ZAPPED BY BOLTS
Lightning prove too much for Senators in game following tough loss to Chicago
LIGHTNING 4, SENATORS 3
Even with the trade winds blowing through Canadian Tire Centre, the Ottawa Senators didn’t get blown out Thursday night.
With the NHL trade deadline set for Monday at 3 p.m. and the club prepared to make changes — including the possibility of dealing captain Erik Karlsson — the Senators saw their five-game home winning streak halted in a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning ’s Brayden Point, Vladislav Namestnikov, Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson did the scoring on Ottawa netminder Craig Anderson, while Derick Brassard, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Borowiecki were able to beat Tampa’s Louis Domingue.
With no shortage of speculation about who may be sent packing before the door is closed on making changes, the Senators’ search for answers about what’s gone wrong during this terrible season continues as Ottawa dropped its third straight game.
After falling behind 4-1 going into the third period, the Senators tried to mount a comeback as first Borowiecki scored, then Brassard — who has been at the centre of trade rumours — scored with 2:16 left in the game on the power play to close the gap to one. But that’s where the comeback stopped for the Senators.
The reality is the trade talk has reached a peak and winger Bobby Ryan, who returned Thursday night from a hand injury, has been mentioned as part of the Karlsson deal to try to get his contract off the books.
Karlsson wasn’t made available to speak to the media after the game, but Ryan addressed all the trade speculation.
“I’ve heard what’s going on. I think we all have,” Ryan said. “Guys kind of talk about it in pockets: ‘Have you heard this or have you heard that?’ It wouldn’t be fair for me to comment because I really saw the guys for two hours before the game, so I missed it all.
“We understand where we’re at. That’s the nature of the beast when you don’t perform, you have to deal with things. It is what it is and it’s so far above us in the room that you just can’t take it personal.”
Playing the second game of a back-to-back after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday in Chicago, the Senators knew this was going to be a difficult test against the Bolts.
“That one last night kind of sucked the life out of you and we really left it all out there in Chicago,” Borowiecki said. “In all honesty, I think we had a chance to win that game and it comes back to bite you against a team with such a high-end skill.
“That’s going to be expected when you are on a really hard back-to-back but that’s something we’ve got to work on.”
The Senators pulled to within two goals at 8:11 of the third when Borowiecki scored his third of the season. It was initially waved off by the officials for goalie interference by Bobby Ryan, but after a challenge it was ruled a good goal to cut Tampa’s lead to 4-2
What the Senators really needed through 40 minutes was a big save or two from Anderson.
The Lightning were getting them from Domingue as they were outshot by the Senators outshot 24-18, but trailed 4-1. Point scored with less than one second left on the clock to give his team a three-goal advantage going into third period.
Other than timely goals, Domingue stopped Dzingel on a breakaway in the second and Ryan in the first. The Bolts were being outplayed, but they also got a big stop from Domingue, down low, when Dzingel was in alone with less than two minutes left in the period.
The Senators fell behind 3-1 only 3:37 into the third when Namestnikov skated in alone and beat Anderson for his 20th of the season. While Anderson can’t expected to stop everything, it doesn’t help that the Senators have been horrible in their own end to allow great scoring chances.
The Lightning pulled ahead 2-1 after 20 minutes when Hedman made a great individual effort to beat Anderson through the fivehole with 3:34 left in the period. The Senators outshot the Bolts 11-7, but the Bolts got the stops from Domingue and that was the difference in this one.
After falling behind 1-0, Dzingel tied it up with his 16th of the season at 14:56 of the first. He took a pass near the crease and held onto the puck long enough to beat Domingue on the glove side. Dzingel did some pretty good work to tie it up 1-1.
“It was a pretty good game by us, but we didn’t get the job done so it doesn’t really matter,” Dzingel said. “It could have definitely gone a different way.”