In Ottawa, it seems you cannot always count on the Senators to lose. In a Saturday matinee, the Senators hung a 4-0 shutout on the Tampa Bay Lightning. 
Anton Forsberg made 25 saves for the Senators win.
Josh Norris scored in the period for Ottawa for the 1-0 lead.
“It’s easy to root for a guy that’s worked so hard,” Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith said of Forsberg. “He’s been waived, he’s switched teams, I’m sure many a time he’s wondered, ‘Am I an NHL goalie? Am I going to be in the League?’ And if you just stay with it, you never know when you’re going to get your break.”
Ottawa improved to 8-16-1.
Brady Tkachuk followed that up with a natural hat trick over the second and third periods.
“We didn’t let off the gas all game tonight, so I think we’re definitely proud of the effort,” Tkachuk said. “I think we just played the right way. We were on the forecheck and doing the details really well tonight.”
The Lightning dropped to 17-6-4.
“When you’re getting these road trips, whether it’s three, four or five games, you’ve got to take more points than games played, and we did that,” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said. “If we lose the first game and win the next four, it’s probably a way better feeling than it is right now. It [stinks] to do interviews like this right after the game. But for the big picture, those eight out of 10 [points], that’s a good trip.”
Ottawa is 4-1-0 in their last five.
“I would say probably two weeks ago, you could see his (Tkachuk) legs were under him, and then because his legs are under him his hands are now under him,” Smith said. “And on top of that, he’s mean, he plays with emotion and now he’s making the right plays, making heavy plays, making smart plays, and he’s driving us right now up front.”
Tkachuk finished his hat trick with an empty net goal.
Brian Elliott made 19 saves in the Tampa loss.
“I think we weren’t as consistent getting into the zone,” Tampa’s Ryan McDonagh said. “We were a little sloppy on our break-ins. You can give [the Senators] credit; they were gapped up well and making good reads and in good positions. If you’re not able to get into the zone clean and execute well there, it’s going to make it tough for you to gain the zone and get your looks going.”
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