The Backcheck: Bolts take all 4 factors from two-game set vs. Sens – NHL.com

Beat author Benjamin Pierce recaps Thursday's win over the Senators
At a time when each standings level issues in a congested Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday defeated one of many groups hovering close to them within the playoff race for the second time in three days.
Tampa Bay beat the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Thursday at AMALIE Area, bettering to 29-20-4 this season and incomes at the least one standings level for a fourth straight recreation.
The Lightning’s win over the Senators got here two days after a 4-3 win in opposition to the identical divisional opponent on Tuesday. The most recent win jumped the Lightning into the third divisional playoff area, taking the spot from Ottawa.
“It was form of time to look within the mirror and rise to the event,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated. “We needed to see, what’s our group? For 2 video games right here, they’ve proved they’re manufactured from rather a lot.”
All three durations began with a problem for the Lightning. Tampa Bay took a penalty 2:02 into the sport and located itself shorthanded 1:15 into the second interval. With a 2-1 lead, the house group was once more known as for a penalty early within the third, this time 46 seconds into play.
The Lightning penalty kill unit erased all three power-play possibilities for Ottawa, permitting three complete photographs to the Ottawa energy play.
“Particular groups has received to be big, they usually’ve been nice for us all 12 months,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh stated. “We have been persevering with to get extra confidence there on the PK and understanding reads and simply attempting to be actual detailed and execute on our clears and faceoffs, good hole, and it has been a very good stretch for us.”
Tampa Bay took benefit of their very own power-play seems, opening the scoring on a rebound likelihood for Jake Guentzel halfway by the primary interval within the closing seconds of their first 5-on-4 alternative.
Brayden Level’s preliminary shot from the excessive slot was stopped by Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg, however Guentzel tapped within the rebound close to the appropriate goalpost for the 1-0 lead 9:23 into the sport.
“I believe it is easy to stand up for these video games. Playoff mentality in opposition to a group that we’re combating in opposition to for playoffs,” Guentzel stated. “These are the video games you wish to play in.”
Ottawa tied the sport on a netfront redirection by ahead Michael Amadio 5:27 into the second interval, however the Lightning regained their lead shortly after one other power-play likelihood.
McDonagh collected the puck behind the objective line close to the Lightning web, whisking a three-line cross to a ready Brandon Hagel on the far blue line. Hagel accepted the cross, broke in alone and swept the puck by Forsberg’s five-hole for the 2-1 benefit with 9:46 left within the second interval.
Level prolonged the Lightning result in 3-1 within the third interval, burying his shot from the appropriate faceoff circle with 4:16 left within the recreation. Erik Cernak’s first objective of the season discovered the empty web on a rink-long clearing try within the recreation’s closing minute, and Mitchell Chaffee added the ultimate objective with 26 seconds remaining to seal a 5-1 victory.
Level led the Lightning with a objective and two assists, and Kucherov added a pair of assists.
Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy completed with 27 saves, whereas Forsberg ended with 26 for the Senators.
Tampa Bay’s divisional run continues this weekend once they tackle the surging Detroit Purple Wings (28-21-5 this season) on Saturday after which journey to Montreal to play the Canadiens (25-24-5), their closing video games earlier than the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
“We have now to dig deep, and you’ll’t look forward,” Cooper stated. “You wish to play all of your video games at residence, however I am okay with occurring the highway proper now and simply get this group collectively, get targeted. And you understand what? Let’s take our greatest shot and see what we are able to do right here for 2 video games.”
Benjamin’s Three Stars:

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