A playoff berth was obtainable with the road trip continuing in Ottawa. Linus Ullmark spoiled that chance and the Lightning fell 2-1. Once again, Lightning rolled out with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Lately Ottawa has not been kind to the Lightning as this is an arena they struggle in. Ullmark was the star of the show and dominated in net to make it a rough night for the Lightning.
A long night was ahead
To begin, Lightning was shaky at the start but quickly regrouped in the opening minutes. Then, Ottawa had a series of rushes that Tampa was having trouble keeping up with. There were no serious turnovers committed and both goalies were sharp at the start. Next, Tampa Bay’s offense began to heat up and would get a great scoring chance with the first power play of the game. Thomas Chabot was sent off for slashing with 11:45 to go in the period.
First mistake causes the opening goal
There were some good opportunities, but the Lightning could not capitalize on the power play and the game remained scoreless. Afterwards, teams would exchange odd man rushes and this is where the first goal of the game would be scored. Unfortunately, the first major mistake by the Lightning allowed the Senators to stirke first. On a 3-on-2 rush Shane Pinto scored to give Ottawa the 1-0 lead. Again, Lightning would go on the power play a second time, but Ullmark continued to deny them from scoring. The score remained 1-0 with the Lightning outshooting the Senators 13-8.
Cracking the code
Starting the second period, the Lightning were moving the puck well but gave up a too many men penalty. This was caused by a poorly executed transition and again would be costly. Jake Sanderson scored to extend the lead 2-0 and it was starting to be an off night for Andrei Vasilevskiy. Ullmark was the best player on ice by far but eventually the Lightning scored. Brandon Hagel answered back with a goal off the rebound to cut the lead 2-1. Finally, a sigh of relief for the Lightning who finally found an answer to the Senators netminder. A handful of hi scoring chances were exchanged but nothing else would find its way to the back of the net. Senators kept the 2-1 lead after the second period came to an end.
Brandon Hagel incoming‼️ pic.twitter.com/ixcm37KMom
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 4, 2025
Hurdling over the defense
Third period began quieter than the previous two. Senators were focused on maintaining their lead and making sure the Lightning could not crawl back. On the other hand, Lightning was looking for the equalizer with a playoff berth in reach. In the early minutes the Senators were defending well and did not surrender a shot on net. Afterwards, Guentzel is called for hi sticking and the Senators get their third power play early in the third. Hagel nearly scored a short-handed goal off a breakaway, but Ullmark continues to deny the Bolts offense.
Desperation time
Immediately after, Ullmark stopped an odd man rush chance keeping the one goal lead intact for Ottawa. Without any trouble Lightning kill off the penalty which seemed like a power play for Tampa Bay and not the Senators. Continuously. Ottawa’s defense played well like it has throughout the night, and it did not seem like the Lightning could equalize. Thankfully, Drake Batherson gave up a careless penalty with 5:05 left in the game giving Tampa a chance to tie the game. Despite the power play chance Ullmark seemed unbeatable and time was running out quick.
Playoff berth not in the cards tonight
Vasilevskiy would be pulled with over 2 minutes to go to get the extra attacker on. Desperation was the name of the game for these final two minutes as even a point would benefit the Lightning. Not winning face-offs plagued Tampa Bay all night which allowed Ottawa to easily chew off time from the clock. All in all, the Senators would hold off for the win and end the Lightning’s four game winning streak. Playoff berth would have to wait another day as the road trip continues in Buffalo.
Three stars of the game
1st star: Linus Ullmark – Saved 31 of 32 shots faced
2nd star: Ridley Greig – 2 assists
3rd star: Brandon Hagel – 1 goal
