The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to gain ground in the Atlantic Division, dropping a 2-1 decision on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. The loss snapped the Lightning’s four-game winning streak, while the Senators got back in the win column, snapping a two-game skid.
Brandon Hagel scored his 34th of the season for the Lightning to cut Ottawa’s lead to one goal. Meanwhile, Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson (PPG) got the tallies for the Senators.
Here’s a closer look at the three least impressive Tampa Bay Lightning players from their loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
3 least impressive Tampa Bay Lightning players from 2-1 loss to Ottawa Senators
#3. Jake Guentzel
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s veteran winger could not break loose against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Jake Guentzel skated in 23 shifts, racking up over 24 minutes of ice. However, he could not find the back of the net in his three shots on goal.
Considering how important Guentzel has been to the Bolts’ offense this season, his lack of offensive success against the Senators was a major reason why Tampa could not come back to grab the two points.
#2. Oliver Bjorkstrand
Oliver Bjorkstrand was a major trade deadline acquisition for Tampa Bay. The hope was that Bjorkstrand could slide into the top six, providing crucial depth scoring in support of stars Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel.
However, Bjorkstrand hasn’t been quite as impactful as the Bolts had hoped. On Thursday night, he hit the ice for just 10:22 over 15 shifts. He got one shot on goal and did not register on the scoresheet.
Moving forward, Tampa Bay will hope Bjorskstrand can step up to provide the team with more depth scoring, particularly as the Lightning look destined to face the Florida Panthers in the first round of the postseason.
#1. Yanni Gourde
Yanni Gourde was the other major trade deadline acquisition for the Lightning this season. While Gourde wasn’t expected to set the scoresheet ablaze every night, the hope was that Gourde could provide depth scoring.
On Thursday night against the Sens, Gourde played a touch over 14 minutes over 18 shifts. While he got an assist on the lone goal in the game, coach Jon Cooper didn’t utilize Gourde as much as the Bolts’ bench shortened toward the end of the game.
The Lightning will be back in action on Saturday night as they take on the Buffalo Sabres next at KeyBank Center in an Atlantic Division matchup.
Edited by Veer Badani
