Ottawa Senators right wing Marian Gaborik tries to settle the puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Louis Domingue during the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre, in Ottawa, Ont., on Feb. 22, 2018.Marc DesRosiers
Nikita Kucherov picked up two assists Thursday night to hit the 80-point mark as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-3.
Kucherov, the NHL's leading point producer, is the first player to reach 80 points this season. He has 32 goals and 48 assists in 61 games.
Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, Vladislav Namestnikov and Brayden Point scored for the Lightning (41-17-3). Louis Domingue picked up his third win of the season stopping 33 shots.
Ryan Dzingel, Mark Borowiecki and Derick Brassard scored for the Senators (21-29-10), who have now lost three in a row (0-2-1). Craig Anderson made 20 saves.
The loss snapped the Senators' five-game winning streak on home ice.
Brassard made it a one-goal game by scoring a power-play goal with just over two minutes remaining, but the Senators were unable to complete the comeback.
Ottawa made it 4-2 midway through the third as Borowiecki, with his third of the season, had a wide-open net after catching Domingue out of position. The goal was initially waved off due to goaltender interference, but the Senators challenged and upon review it was a good goal.
The Lightning took a 3-1 lead three minutes into the second as Kucherov fed Namestnikov, who was able to break in alone and beat Anderson.
Ottawa had a number of chances to try and close the gap, but just couldn't beat Domingue.
Tampa made it 4-1 with under one second left in the second period when Point was left all alone in front and made no mistake, scoring five-hole for his 24th of the season.
The Lightning opened the scoring midway through the period as Johnson beat Anderson high from long range. Chris Kunitz picked up his 600th career point with an assist on the goal.
Ottawa tied the game at the 14-minute mark as Dzingel showed off some sweet stick work and tucked a puck in behind Domingue for his 16th of the season.
Less than two minutes later the Lightning regained the lead as they hemmed the Senators in their own end and Hedman finished things beating Anderson through the legs from in close.
Bobby Ryan returned to the Senators lineup after missing ten games with a hand injury.
Notes: LW Max McCormick and D Frerik Claesson were healthy scratches for the Senators. Tampa D Andrej Sustr and C Cory Conacher were healthy scratches.
The U.S. women's hockey team crushed Canada at the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1998.
Reuters