Mathieu Joseph gets best of former team as Sens top Lightning

Field Level Media|published: Mon 19th February, 21:59 2024

Feb 19, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Mathieu Joseph (21) scores against Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the first period at Amalie Arena. credits: Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Mathieu Joseph scored two goals for the visiting Ottawa Senators in a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

Joseph, a 2015 fourth-round pick by the Lightning who played for them from 2018-22, has four goals and an assist in five career games against his former team.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, Artem Zub had two assists and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves for the Senators, who were coming off back-to-back losses against the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks, two of the weakest teams in the NHL.

Mitchell Chaffee and Brayden Point scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves for the Lightning, who were coming off a 9-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Stutzle gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 10:45 of the first period when he made a move to get around Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, skated into the right circle and cut into the middle before scoring with a wrist shot.

Joseph extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:35 of the first period.

Stutzle made an outlet pass to spring a two-on-one rush, and Joseph finished off a feed from Claude Giroux.

The Lightning went from 9:40 of the first period to 3:19 of the second without a shot on goal, and the Senators extended their lead to 3-0 at 15:49 of the second.

Joseph stole the puck from Steven Stamkos in the Ottawa zone and used his speed to create a breakaway before pocketing his 10th goal of the season.

The Lightning ended the shutout at 16:55 of the second period.

Nick Perbix attempted to make a pass along the end wall to Michael Eyssimont, but the puck hit the stick blade of Ottawa defenseman Jakob Chychrun and caromed in front of the net to Chaffee, who scored his second goal of the season to make it 3-1.

Vladimir Tarasenko re-established the three-goal lead when he scored on Brady Tkachuk's rebound off a rush to make it 4-1 at 4:01 of the third period.

The Lightning scored 35 seconds later, pulling within 4-2.

Brandon Hagel won the puck on the forecheck along the wall and fed Point cutting down the middle, and Point slid the puck under Forsberg.

—Field Level Media

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