Cirelli scores in OT, Lightning beat Senators 4-3

Dec 17, 2019 | 7:14 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — Anthony Cirelli scored with 19 seconds left in overtime and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 Tuesday night.

Cirelli split two defenders near the blue line and lifted a shot past Marcus Hogberg.

Tampa Bay also got goals from Nikita Kucherov, Cedric Paquette and Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves. The Lightning were looking to rebound following a 5-2 loss to NHL-leading Washington on Saturday night.

Mark Borowiecki, Connor Brown and Anthony Duclair scored for the Senators, who were coming off a 6-1 loss Monday night at Florida. Hogberg, playing in his third game this season and seventh overall, stopped 36 shots.

Duclair got his ninth goal over the last seven games on a breakaway after Kucherov’s turnover as the Senators tied it at 3-3 at 15:46 of the second.

Kucherov, in the lineup after leaving Saturday’s game midway through the second after taking a shot off his right foot, spent the third period sitting on the bench.

Hogberg made several strong saves during the first half of the third before the Senators’ NHL lowest-ranked power play failed to score while Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos served 4 minutes for high-sticking at 9:51.

Kucherov opened the scoring 7:27 into the game from the high slot. Hogberg lost his stick while moving to his right to try and stop Victor Hedman’s in-close shot and was scrambling to get back in position as the Lightning right wing got his 199th career goal.

After Borowiecki stopped a 16-game goal drought at 11:05 of the first, Paquette made it 2-1 with 2:38 left in the first.

Point scored at 3:32 of the second but Brown got the goal back 29 seconds later.

NOTES: Kucherov has 10 goals and 30 points in 26 games against Ottawa. … Borowiecki tied his career highs of three goals and 11 points. … Tampa Bay C Tyler Johnson (lower body) returned after missing four games. … Senators C Chris Tierney played his 400th NHL game and had two assists.

UP NEXT

Senators: Begin a four-game homestand Thursday night against Nashville.

Lightning: Host Dallas on Thursday night.

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Mark Didtler, The Associated Press