The Tampa Bay Lightning pulled off an overtime victory on Tuesday night against the Senators in Ottawa for their fourth straight win. The Bolts have obtained points in eight of their last nine games and 15 of their last 17.
Tampa Bay has recorded at least one point in nine of their last 10 road games going 6-1-3 in that span. In addition, they have given up two goals or less in eight of their last ten games on the road.
Hedman Wins It
Tuesday night's contest provided very little satisfaction to those who love a high-scoring battle. Both the Bolts and the Senators could only light the lamp once, sending this very important game into an extra period. Rookie, Braydon Point, provided the lone regulation goal for Tampa Bay, scoring his third goal in two games.
Victor Hedman provided the game-winner in overtime for the Lightning, his fifth game-winning goal this season. Hedman now has a career-high 14 goals on the year. The blueliner also has career-high totals in assists and points this season. He has been another player doing his part to get this team into the postseason, providing two goals and two assists over his last four games.
What This Game Really Means
Yes, any victory is always nice. However, everyone following the Eastern Conference playoff picture knows how important this win was for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Beating the Senators on Tuesday night gave the Bolts 77 points on the season, passing the Maple Leafs in the standings.
The Lightning have the same amount of points as the New York Islanders but are looking up at the Isles who sit in the final wild card spot. Still, the Bolts are fired up at the possibility of making the postseason after it seemed like all was lost this season. It must be noted that Tampa Bay is also only three points behind the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division. Although just getting into the playoffs is their goal, the Lightning would rather have one of the divisional spots so they do not have to take on the Capitals in round one.
On Tap
The Lightning play their most important game of the season on Thursday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at AMALIE Arena. This is going to be a matchup you will not want to miss.