Ottawa Senators win 4-1 against Tampa Bay Lightning with disciplined performance - NHL Recap
The Ottawa Senators ran rings around the Tampa Bay Lightning to win 4-1, and secure a fourth straight victory at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, January 5, 2012.
Senators now have a 21-15-5 record and remain second in the Northeast Division as they continue their push to the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning lost their second game in a row to remain third in the Southeast Conference with a 17-19-3 record.
They will now face a tough game ahead, against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Senators put in a disciplined display and even with Tampa Bay Lightning’s offence forcing 35 saves from Ottawa's goaltender, Craig Anderson, they were unable to score more goals.
Senators were more experimental with their finishing and took a much deserved victory.
"This time of the year, it's playoffs for us", said Lightning captain, Vincent Lecavalier, who set up Stamkos' goal. "We can't slide down more. You know, a playoff game, you lose one -- yeah, it's tough, but you've got to bounce back and come out the same
way against Montreal”.
The Senators had a small scare in the final period of the game when Lightning’s Steven Stamkos scored to make it 2-1, and Tampa Bay tried their best to mount a comeback.
However, Senator’s defence held firm with the offence scoring the final two goals on the counter attack to secure the contest.
"They were buzzing pretty good and they got that goal to get them close and they made a big push but we didn't break", Anderson said. "We bent a little bit but we didn't break. We found a way to be poised with the puck and go down there and make it two goals
again".
The Senators took the lead in the first period at 10:36 through Jason Spezza who along with six other Senators has been voted to take part in the All-Star game.
Spezza scored his 15th goal of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Senators doubled their advantage, late in the second period at 17:07 through youngster, Kyle Turris, who scored his first goal of the season.
Lightning was shutout for the first two periods and even though they tried hard, they could not get through a determined Ottawa goaltender.
Anderson’s hopes for a shutout however, were shattered in the third period when at 8:48, Steven Stamkos scored his 28th goal of the season and Tampa Bay’s first goal to make it 2-1.
If Lightning fans were hoping that their team might make a late dash for a comeback, it was not in the pipeline.
The Senators responded at 16:34 through Zack Smith’s goal to regain their two goal advantage while Ottawa's captain, Daniel Alfredsson, fired his 13th goal in the final minute to take it 4-1.
Tags: