{"id":546626,"date":"2026-04-08T03:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T03:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/546626\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T03:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T03:07:29","slug":"star-power-ullmark-lift-senators-to-6-2-win-over-lightning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/546626\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Power, Ullmark Lift Senators to 6-2 Win Over Lightning"},"content":{"rendered":"

With either the Detroit Red Wings or Columbus Blue Jackets guaranteed to claim two points in the standings, the Ottawa Senators needed to strike back against the Tampa Bay Lightning in order to maintain their lead in the wildcard race.<\/p>\n

Tim St\u00fctzle came into this game as a marked man, targeted by countless cross-checks and heavy physical play from the Tampa Bay players. You can be certain that John Cooper told his team to make St\u00fctzle\u2019s night long and uncomfortable. In typical St\u00fctzle fashion, he did not back down and brought his best every shift, creating something nearly every time he touched the ice. St\u00fctzle was by far the best player on the ice, and it\u2019s remarkable to watch him come into his own this season, becoming as complete a player as you could ask for at 24 years old.<\/p>\n

The first period had Ullmark busy, turning away eleven shots with the Lightning driving the play for most of the frame. Ullmark stood tall and made several key saves to keep the game scoreless heading into the intermission. It has definitely been refreshing to see our starter playing to his capabilities recently, and you can see the confidence the Sens play with when he\u2019s on his game.<\/p>\n

The second period started much like the first, with Tampa controlling the flow and generating shots on Ullmark, while Ottawa managed only one shot through the first nine minutes. The Senators were forced to kill a St\u00fctzle tripping penalty on Nick Paul, but Ullmark continued to be a brick wall.<\/p>\n

Sanderson was seen heading to the players\u2019 room just eight minutes into the tied second period after taking a shot off his left skate. Travis Green was immediately asked about it on the bench and confidently replied that he would be fine. Sanderson returned with nine minutes remaining in the period.<\/p>\n

Tampa played a tight, structured game against the Sens, limiting passing and shooting lanes and forcing Ottawa to generate offense from the perimeter. It was a defensive chess match, with both teams waiting for a lucky bounce or a screened shot to find its way through.<\/p>\n

The first elusive goal went to the Senators on a give-and-go, with Tkachuk returning the puck to Jordan Spence, and the former healthy scratch beating Johansson glove side to finish the two-on-one break. The Senators also surged ahead in the shot category during this stretch, generating more opportunities than they had in the first period.<\/p>\n

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Spence starts scoring | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Jordan Spence gets Brady Tkachuk\u2019s feed on a 2-on-1 rush and fires in a wrist shot to make it 1-0 in the 2nd period<\/p>\n

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Shortly after, Nick Paul found the back of the net on a backhand shot that beat Ullmark.<\/p>\n

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Paul scores on backhand | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Nick Paul scoops the puck past Linus Ullmark from out front, evening the score at 1 late in the 2nd period<\/p>\n

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The Senators established a strong forecheck to start the third, leading to their second goal. Brady Tkachuk extended the play in the offensive zone with a hard shot on net, Fabian Zetterlund retrieved the rebound at the top of the blue line and fired a shot that redirected off Erik Cernak\u2019s glove, dropped down, and beat Jonas Johansson.<\/p>\n

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Zetterlund takes lead | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Fabian Zetterlund gets Brady Tkachuk\u2019s rebound and whips in a wrist shot to make it 2-1 early in the 3rd period<\/p>\n

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Minutes later, Sanderson drove the puck one-handed down the right side, shielding it from a Lightning defender attempting a poke-check. Cutting in from the right boards, he took the puck to the net, and it slid favourably under Johansson\u2019s left pad to put the Senators up by two with fifteen minutes remaining.<\/p>\n

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Sanderson\u2019s backhand goal | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Jake Sanderson gets Tim St\u00fctzle\u2019s dish and slides it home on his backhand to make it 3-1 in the 3rd period<\/p>\n

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Nick Paul (who does it all, including stabbing us in the back repeatedly) responded with a great pass to Ryan McDonagh, who faked a shot from the point before finding Corey Perry in the left slot. Perry beat Ullmark to pull Tampa back within one with nine minutes remaining.<\/p>\n

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TBL@OTT: Perry scores goal against Linus Ullmark | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Corey Perry (TBL) scores goal against Linus Ullmark (OTT) to make it 3 – 2<\/p>\n

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An extra effort from Lassi Thomson on the puck led to him drawing a penalty that became the catalyst for two consecutive Sens power-play goals.<\/p>\n

The first power-play goal was buried by a net-hungry St\u00fctzle, who pounced on a loose puck and tucked it past the netminder. Jon Cooper unsuccessfully challenged the goal, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty. On the ensuing power play, the Senators capitalized immediately off a centre-ice faceoff play. Sanderson slipped behind the Lightning coverage, received a tap pass from Brady at the Tampa blue line, powered his way through the zone, and fired a shot past Johansson for his second of the night \u2014 his first multi-goal game \u2014 while Brady recorded his first-ever four-assist night.<\/p>\n

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St\u00fctzle\u2019s power-play tally | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Tim St\u00fctzle goes to the net, grabs a loose puck and whips in a wrist shot on the power play to make it 4-2 in the 3rd period<\/p>\n

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Sanderson strikes again with PPG | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Jake Sanderson gets Brady Tkachuk\u2019s pass and sends it home on his backhand on the power play for his second goal of the night, making it 5-2 in the 3rd period<\/p>\n

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Shane Pinto\u2019s empty-netter put the exclamation mark on the game, sealing a 6\u20132 victory and earning a much-needed two points to protect their final wild-card spot in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.<\/p>\n

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Shane Pinto with a Short-handed Goal vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL.com<\/p>\n

Shane Pinto (Ottawa Senators) with a Short-handed Goal vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 04\/07\/2026<\/p>\n

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Ullmark deserves significant credit for this win, playing like the goaltender Sens fans expected when he signed his contract. This is great news for the Senators and bodes well for their fortunes in this final playoff push. With unfavourable out-of-town results \u2014 a Flyers win and a three-point game between Detroit and Columbus \u2014 this victory was key to remain two points and a tierbreaker ahead in the second wild-card spot. With four games remaining, they will need this same team effort to secure a playoff berth. <\/p>\n

Food for thought after this game on Jordan Spence, I can’t help but wonder about his contract negotiations with the Sens come this summer. His play has been remarkable, with nine points in his past eleven games. With seven goals and twenty-two assists for a total of twenty-nine points, it will be interesting to see how his RFA extension negotiations unfold. Will the Sens buy up some of his UFA years, or will it be a shorter two-year extension that walks him closer to unrestricted free agency?<\/p>\n

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