The six-game losing streak came to a stop, mercifully, down in Tampa Bay.
The 4-3 victory may have come in the shootout, but I really thought Ottawa deserved this one fairly decisively -- they more or less dominated even-strength against a Lightning team that looked weirdly out of sorts, and certainly didn't look the part of a team lifelessly playing out the string.
Of course, Ottawa got into penalty trouble, because that's sort of what Ottawa always does. The Bolts capitalized there, forcing the game to extra-time.
Robin Lehner stopped all three Tampa Bay shooters in the shootout, with Jason Spezza's lone goal holding up. You know the team was dying for a victory, but I don't know if anyone wanted it more than Robin Lehner. After his game-winning stop on Steven Stamkos, he sort of put his head on the ice, pounding it in relief.
It's been a weird go for Lehner of late, but all of the evidence we have prior to this shaky stretch -- there's plenty of it -- suggests he's a pretty good goalie. So, hopefully, stopping 35/38 and all of the shooters late gets him back on the right track. Every goalie goes through a rough patch. I guess the key is to really stave off the rough patch becoming a regularity.
I thought Ottawa's best player, though, was Erik Karlsson. It's something I sort of noticed, but he's had an absurd run of games against the Bolts this season. Tonight ended the season series, and through all five games, Erik Karlsson posted 64% Corsi -- including 62% tonight, with three points to show for it.
Good win, and a deserved win. Let's see if Ottawa can keep that rolling a bit. They're back in action tomorrow in Florida.
Thanks for reading!