The Ottawa Senators, despite some tough injury updates this week, are in a strong position as the 4 Nations Face-Off break nears, currently holding a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
However, the Tampa Bay Lightning are just two points behind them in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa will look to extend its lead when they play Tampa Bay on Thursday night in the second game of their series.
In Tuesday’s game, the Lightning won 4-3, ending Ottawa’s five-game win streak. Despite the loss, Ottawa has gone 10-3-1 in its last 14 games, with defenseman Thomas Chabot playing a key role. Over his past six games, Chabot has one goal and five assists.
“It’s my third year playing with him, and every year I thought he was a great player and doing a lot for our team,” said Ottawa forward Claude Giroux of Chabot. “Obviously, offensively he’s creative. He can skate. But his defensive play has been really good.”
Chabot has four goals and 22 assists in 53 games this season.
The Senators are also dealing with injuries, having lost Josh Norris to a mid-body injury over the weekend, which will keep him out for a couple of weeks. Forward Shane Pinto also left Tuesday’s game after just 2:57 of ice time due to an upper-body injury and did not return.
Thursday’s game will mark the first time the Senators have played two consecutive road games in the same city during a regular season. The only other time this occurred was during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Tampa Bay will be looking for a win to start a potential winning streak, as they haven’t won two in a row since Jan. 16-18. In Tuesday’s win, Brandon Hagel scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Ryan McDonagh sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:25. Ottawa’s Drake Batherson answered 15 seconds later with a goal of his own.
Tampa Bay’s victory came without Conor Geekie, who was sent down to AHL Syracuse earlier in the day. Lightning coach Jon Cooper acknowledged Geekie’s contributions, saying, “This was talked about with Geeks in training camp, so the fact that he was here 50 games is a tribute to him.”
Geekie, 20, has contributed six goals and six assists in 49 games this season. The Lightning are also dealing with injuries, as Nick Paul (undisclosed) left Tuesday’s game after just 1:17 of ice time.
