Senators hand Lightning 1st loss in high-scoring clash

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Drake Batherson had two goals and an assist, and the Ottawa Senators handed Tampa Bay its first loss of the season with a 5-4 victory over the Lightning on Saturday.

Josh Norris, Brady Tkachuk and Noah Gregor also scored for Ottawa (3-2-0), and Anton Forsberg made 25 saves. Jake Sanderson collected three assists.

Gregor’s short-handed goal lifted the Senators to a 5-3 lead 6:17 into the third period. It was his first goal of the season.

Nikita Kucherov scored his NHL-best seventh goal for Tampa Bay. Nick Paul, Jake Guentzel and Mitchell Chaffee also scored for the Lightning (3-1-0).

Forsberg made a big save on Kucherov with 56.4 seconds remaining.

Andrei Vasilevsky stopped 23 shots for Tampa Bay.

TAKEAWAYS

Senators: G Linus Ullmark missed his third straight game with what has been described as a strain. Ullmark practiced this week but didn’t dress as the backup.

Lightning: Went 0 for 3 on the man advantage after scoring on the power play in their first three games.

KEY MOMENT

Clinging to a 4-3 lead, the Senators killed a 48-second, two-man advantage early in the third period.

KEY STAT

With seven goals and two assists over four games, Kucherov is off to the most productive start of his career.

UP NEXT

The Lightning visit the Maple Leafs on Monday. The Senators are at Utah on Tuesday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl