Linus Ullmark [https://puckpedia.com/player/linus-ullmark] made 31 saves as the Ottawa Senators [https://puckpedia.com/team/ottawa-senators] defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://puckpedia.com/team/tampa-bay-lightning] 2-1 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night. Ridly Greig [https://puckpedia.com/player/ridly-greig] set up both of the Ottawa goals, and was excellent on both sides of the puck, but it was Ullmark who stole the show in a crucial victory for the Sens. Apr 3, 2025: Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmak (35) makes a save in the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images). [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a8c9e1b1-42a7-462d-a08c-d8e65e52b6bb.jpeg] Apr 3, 2025: Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmak (35) makes a save in the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images). Shane Pinto [https://puckpedia.com/player/shane-pinto] and Jake Sanderson [https://puckpedia.com/player/jake-sanderson] provided the scoring for the Senators, who increased their seven point cushion above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line, and maintained their five point lead on the (WC2) Montreal Canadiens [https://puckpedia.com/team/montreal-canadiens]. The Habs defeated the Boston Bruins [https://puckpedia.com/team/boston-bruins] 4-1, the Columbus Blue Jackets were being manhandled late in the game by the Colorado Avalanche, and the New York Rangers were idle. The Senators were fortunate to escape the first period with a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay outshot Ottawa 13-8, but many of those shots were of high quality, and Ullmark had to be extremely sharp, a trend he continued throughout the game. Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and guest co-host Steve Warne discuss on THN's "The Big Show" why the Senators have turned things around this season. The Senators didn’t get many good looks in the opening frame, but Pinto [https://puckpedia.com/player/shane-pinto] finished off a three-on-two Ottawa rush with a wrist shot from the slot that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it 1-0. Tampa Bay loudly protested, claiming that Oliver Bjorkstrand [https://puckpedia.com/player/oliver-bjorkstrand] had been wronged in the Ottawa zone. Bjorkstrand laid on the ice for the entirety of the rush but didn't get a call. Just over five minutes into the second period, after Tampa took a too many men call, Jake Sanderson's power play shot from the point made it 2-0. But less than two minutes later, the Sens got burned by a lazy line change. Brandon Hagel [https://puckpedia.com/player/brandon-hagel] then beat Tyler Kleven [https://puckpedia.com/player/tyler-kleven] to the net to cash in on a rebound to cut the Ottawa lead to 2-1. Ullmark shut the door after that and was an easy choice as the game's first star, as the Senators were outshot 32-19. It was a fine bounce back for the Sens starter after an average performance against his old team, the Buffalo Sabres [https://puckpedia.com/team/buffalo-sabres], on Tuesday night. As pointed out by NHL Network analytics guru Mike Kelly [https://x.com/MikeKellyNHL/status/1907973889579261995], the Lightning outshot the Senators 26-5 from the slot and out-chanced them 11-1 off the rush. As the Sens creep toward their first playoff spot in eight years, they'll host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. We already know that Matthew Tkachuk will miss the game with an injury. It will be interesting to see if his brother his ready or not.
