Tampa Bay has won five of its last eight meetings, including three straight wins at home last week. However, the Lightning had that three-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In Tampa Bay's 7-3 loss to the Leafs, Mathieu Garon was relieved after giving up four goals on 21 shots. Neither goalie had much help in front of the net in the loss and that's due to a growing list of injuries on defense. The Lightning was without Victor Hedman (concussion) who was Tampa Bay's leader in ice-time. Even though Hedman doesn't have stand out stats, it isn't helpful to lose another defensive body on a team that has already struggled defensively throughout this season.
Tampa Bay's special teams have been anything but special lately too. On Tuesday, the Lightning were 0 for 5 on a power play that now ranks the worst in the league on the road.
Tonight, the Lightning face an Ottawa Senators team that is seeking its fourth consecutive win and has played well at home as of late. The Senators have won five of their past six games at Scotiabank Place.
Roloson will get the start in net tonight for the Lightning and Craig Anderson will be between the pipes for the Senators.
Who's hot: Steven Stamkos is on a four game scoring streak, scoring seven goals in that span. Stamkos currently leads the league in scoring with 27 goals. Martin St. Louis is on a streak as well. He has points in six straight games since returning from injurt on Dec. 21.
Injury update: LIGHTNING: Ryan Malone (lower body injury) is still listed as day-to-day. Mattias Ohlund (knee) continues to be listed on the Injured Reserve list. Ryan Shannon (lower body ) is also listed on the Injured Reserved list and is expected to return within 2-4 weeks. SENATORS - Sergei Gonchar (head), Peter Regin (shoulder) and Brad Winchester (concussion).