Tampa Bay @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2019 ) Ottawa 1, Tampa Bay 5

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the best offensive team in the NHL all season long, but the Presidents’ Trophy winners have some concerns on the other side of the ice with injuries and disjointed play. The Lightning hope to settle some of those issues when they begin a four-game regular season-ending road trip Monday night against the Ottawa Senators, who have the fewest points in the league.

Tampa Bay has allowed 21 goals in the last five games with veteran defensemen Anton Stralman and Daniel Girardi still out while reigning Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman left Saturday’s 6-3 loss to Washington with an upper-body injury. “We had plenty of chances,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the setback. “But for me, the past few games here we are giving up too much, and that has to get better in our game. We end up losing the game, but by no means did it need to be six against us.” Tampa Bay won’t have it easy against the Senators, who have won five of their last eight after knocking off playoff-bound Toronto 4-2 on Saturday night at home as Craig Anderson turned aside 42 shots for his third straight victory. “We showed a lot of character, resiliency,” Ottawa forward Anthony Duclair told reporters. “(I’m) just proud of how we handled ourselves (Saturday). It’s one of those games you’re motivated to play in (with) the building packed with Leafs fans.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), RDS, TSN5 (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (59-15-4): Cooper told reporters Hedman took a hit in a “tough fashion” in the first period and will be re-evaluated while Stralman (lower body), out since March 5, has been skating with the team and is expected to play on the trip. Right wing Nikita Kucherov scored on the power-play in the final minute Saturday to pull within one of his second 40-goal season and leads the league with 122 points. Captain Steven Stamkos saw his five-game goal-scoring streak end Saturday despite six shots while Tyler Johnson moved within one of tying his career high of 29 tallies (2014-15).

ABOUT THE SENATORS (28-44-6): Defenseman Thomas Chabot was kept off the scoresheet for the first time in five games, but boasts five assists in that same span and leads the team among active players with 53 points. Rookie forward Brady Tkachuk is also finishing the season strong with three goals and two assists in the past four contests to push his season totals to 20 and 42, respectively. Duclair is taking advantage of his opportunity, recording seven goals and 13 points in 17 games since arriving in a trade from Columbus, and is two goals from matching his career high of 20 in 2015-16 with Arizona.

OVERTIME

1. Ottawa Fs Bobby Ryan (297 assists) and Zack Smith (99 assists) are both close to milestones.

2. The Lightning dropped to third in the league on the penalty kill (84.8) entering Sunday after going just 6-for-10 the last three games.

3. Senators LW Magnus Paajarvi has registered four goals and two assists over his last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Lightning 5, Senators 2