Tampa Bay Lightning centre Mitchell Stephens (67) tries to keep the puck from Ottawa Senators defenceman Cody Goloubef (29) during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal with 1:30 remaining in the third period as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning extended their season-high win streak to six games with a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Defenseman Victor Hedman’s pass from the left circle found Johnson, who extended his stick from in close to deflect the puck past Craig Anderson (23 saves) to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead.
Alex Killorn sealed the win by scoring into the empty net for his team co-leading 16th goal of the season. Brayden Point scored his 16th goal earlier in the third period.
Carter Verhaeghe and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk tallied 1:05 apart early in the second period and Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves for the Lightning, who have won 14 straight contests against Atlantic Division foes. Their last lost to a division foe was a 4-2 setback to Ottawa on Oct. 12.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his career high-tying 19th goal and Chris Tierney and defenseman Mark Borowiecki also tallied for the Senators, who have lost four in a row (0-3-1).
After Tampa Bay secured a 2-1 lead early in the second period, Pageau forged a tie nearly eight minutes later after wiring a shot past McElhinney for a power-play goal at 11:40. Tyler Ennis picked up an assist for his 300th career point.
Borowiecki unleashed a blast from the point past a screened McElhinney to give Ottawa a 3-2 lead with nine seconds remaining in the second period.
Point answered 8:37 into the third period, as he applied the brakes to elude Borowiecki before wristing a shot from the left circle past Anderson to forge a tie at 3-3.
Although Tampa Bay carried a power play into the second after defenseman Cody Goloubef’s slashing penalty, it was Ottawa that opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the period. Tierney wired a no-look shot off a rush for his sixth goal of the season.
Tampa Bay answered less than two minutes later as Hedman skated into the left circle and pulled Anderson out of the net before feeding Verhaeghe in the slot for his second career goal.
The Lightning seized a 2-1 lead at 3:45 of the second period after Ondrej Palat intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and left a drop pass intended for Point. Shattenkirk, however, wristed a shot from the right circle that sailed past Anderson for his seventh goal of the season and second in three games.