Turris scores winner as Sens beat Bolts
The Ottawa Senators were outplayed for most of their Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Ottawa skated away with a 4-1 win due in large part to two key factors: Clutch goaltending by Craig Anderson and timely offence from throughout the lineup.
A bit of luck factored in, too. Mid-way through the first, Dwayne Roloson fumbled a rebound and Jason Spezza used his looooong reach to give it the ol' reach-around and tap in the rebound and give Ottawa a first-period lead. Late in the second, Kyle Turris scored his first goal as a Senator when he cut to the front of the net quite adeptly to tip-in a swell pass from Daniel Alfredsson and put Ottawa up by two. Steven Stamkos cut the lead in half, but Zack Smith and Alfredsson scored in the third to lock it down for the Sens.
Sens Hero: Craig Anderson
Anderson's had his share of struggles this season, but after winning the Molson Player of the Month award for December, he played what was certainly one of his best games this season against the Lightning. He stopped 35 of 36 shots faced, including five of six Stamkos shots, four from the stick of Vincent Lecavalier, and three from Martin St. Louis.
Sens Hero: Daniel Alfredsson
The Captain continued his incredible hot streak against Tampa, putting up another three points, giving him 15P (6G, 9A) in his last ten games. His assists on both the Turris and Z. Smith goals were gorgeous passes, and his goal was... well, it was an empty net goal, but it was a goal nonetheless.
Sens Hero: Kyle Turris
Turris put up his first two-point night as a Senator and first in nearly a calendar year, and made his first goal in a Sens uniform a game-winner. He has six points in eight games since joining Ottawa, which is pretty outstanding considering he's still probably got a way to go before he gets into mid-season shape.
Honourable Mention: Colin Greening
After a great start to the season, Greening's really cooled off of late. But on Thursday, he notched one assist (his first point in four games) and fired five shots on goal. If he's going to get back up in the lineup and start putting up points regularly, shooting often is the best way to do so. He's on the right track.
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