In a tough afternoon for the Ottawa Senators, they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but couldn't hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning, who stormed back with four unanswered goals to secure a regulation win. This setback was compounded by the New York Islanders' comeback victory, as they remain the team Ottawa is chasing for the second wild card spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
The Lightning's strategy to neutralize Tim Stützle was evident, as they effectively slowed him down with tight coverage in the neutral zone. Despite battling through the pressure, Stützle managed a partial break in the second period and recorded three shots on goal. Unfortunately, he finished with a minus-2 rating and struggled in possession, with six shot attempts for and 23 against during his 5-on-5 ice time.
Claude Giroux: C+
Giroux found himself out of position on Tampa's equalizing goal, trailing the play as Charle-Edouard D’Astous capitalized from the high slot. Giroux nearly found the net with a sharp wrister in the second period and contributed two shots, two blocks, and a takeaway, but also ended with a minus-2 rating in just under 15 minutes of ice time.
Drake Batherson: B-
Batherson's aggressive play led to mixed results. He was penalized for holding after pressuring J.J.
Moser but drew an interference call with a slick move during a zone entry in the second period. His stat line included two shots, three hits, and two giveaways over nearly 19 minutes on the ice.
The top line's inconsistency might suggest it's time for a shakeup.
Brady Tkachuk opened the game with a big hit on Erik Cernak and assisted on Dylan Cozens' early goal. However, his night was a rollercoaster.
He missed a breakaway chance, took himself out of position with a failed diving stick check, and incurred a costly penalty during a power play. Despite these setbacks, Tkachuk showed determination, especially with a third-period effort to get a shot off while falling.
Dylan Cozens' first goal might have been a stroke of luck, catching Andrei Vasilevskiy off-guard with a quick spin and shot. He also set up Tkachuk's breakaway with a perfect lead pass. Cozens was involved in a physical altercation that led to an extra penalty, taking the Senators off the power play, but he added three hits to his performance.
Overall, the Senators faced a challenging opponent in the Lightning and will need to regroup quickly as they continue their playoff push.