Tampa Bay @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2019 ) Ottawa 3, Tampa Bay 4

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to continue some impressive goal-scoring balance and extend their season-high winning streak to six games when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Captain Steven Stamkos tied Brayden Point and Alex Killorn for the team lead with his 15th goal and Nikita Kucherov added his 14th as the Lightning held off Montreal 2-1 on Thursday.

“We’ve found different ways to win games,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, who is tied for second on the team with Stamkos (37 points) - behind only Kucherov (42) - told reporters. “(Thursday) we had the lead from a great first shift, we scored right away and we played with a one-goal lead for the rest of the game.” The Lightning edged the Senators 4-3 in overtime with a goal by Anthony Cirelli on Dec. 17 after dropping a 4-2 decision at Ottawa on Oct. 12 while managing 21 shots on net. The Senators have lost three in a row (0-2-1), allowing 15 goals combined, after surrendering four in the second period of Thursday’s 6-3 setback against Florida at home. “I think we just fell asleep,” Ottawa forward Tyler Ennis told reporters. “For the first time in a long time we got outworked in the second period and you’re not going to win games at home when you get outworked.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Sun, Sportsnet One

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (22-13-4): Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy has won four straight games with a .929 save percentage since a rough night against Dallas Dec. 19 and turned aside 38 shots in Thursday’s win. “I felt pretty good,” Vasilevskiy told reporters after posting his 18th victory of the season. “Had lots of shots against and stayed in the game the whole time. … We (also) did a great job blocking shots. We were pretty good in the blue paint on all those scrambles.” Stamkos boasts a five-game point streak (two goals, five assists) and Killorn has scored six times in seven contests.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (16-20-5): All-Star left wing Anthony Duclair had an assist Thursday and leads the team with 32 points - three more than center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has been held off the scoresheet in two straight games. Right wing Connor Brown is third on the team with 25 points, recording a goal and three assists in the last four games, while left wing Brady Tkachuk (24) is mired in a three-game point drought. Ottawa sent top defense prospect Erik Brannstrom to AHL Belleville for more development after acquiring fellow blue liner Mike Reilly from Montreal for a minor leaguer Thursday.

OVERTIME

1. Ennis is sixth on the team with 23 points and needs one to reach 300 in his career.

2. Point has made the scoresheet in eight of the last 10 games with five goals and seven assists in that span.

3. Senators D Nikita Zaitsev (lower body) is close to returning after missing the last eight games.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Senators 2