Senators Have Two Tough Opponents in Tampa and Florida The Ottawa Senators put together one of their most complete performances on Monday night when they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2. The Sens were able to generate chances, limit the Lightning to the outside, and get good goaltending. Here are my three takeaways from the game. 1. Stutzle Shines Tim Stutzle was everywhere on Monday. He opened the scoring in the first period, dancing around one defender, backhand toe-dragging past another, then ripping a beautiful shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Later in the first period, Stutzle slipped a beautiful outlet pass to Claude Giroux for a 2 on 1. Giroux fed a perfect pass to Mathieu Joseph, who'd been goalless in eight games, to give the Senators a 2-0 lead. Stutzle was entertaining, with spin-o-ramas, dangles and speed, creating chances for his team all night. He now has 4 points in his last 2 games, and if the 2022-23 Stutzle is back, that changes everything for Ottawa. 2. Joseph’s Justice Like many players when they face their former team, Mathieu Joseph played with a vengeance on Monday night. Joseph used his speed to put himself in positions to be successful. He helped create a 2 on 1 rush, took a beautiful saucer pass from Giroux and ripped a quick shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. In the second period he used his speed again, picking up the puck at his own blue line, and blowing past Tampa defenceman Erik Cernak to score his second goal of the game. Joseph has been one of Ottawa’s best players this season, and is now only three points away from his career high in points. 3. Good enough goaltending When it comes to goaltending performances, it doesn't have to be a Mona Lisa. The Senators just need their goaltenders to give them a chance. That is exactly what Anton Forsberg did on Monday night, allowing only 2 goals on 26 shots, and posting a .923 save percentage. A crazy statistic is making the rounds on social media, and again during Sportsnet’s broadcast Monday night: The Senators are actually a dominant NHL team when their goalie puts up a .900 save percentage in a game. Ottawa is 19-3-1 when their goalies post a .900 or better save percentage compared to 4-24-1 when their goalies are below .900 in a game. Forsberg wasn’t spectacular on Monday night, but made the save when they needed it. It allowed the Senators to be opportunistic and win the game. That's all anyone is asking for.
