One minute, a team is flying. The next, it is falling.
As quick as that, the direction can change.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, which had won 10 of 11 and was one of the hottest teams in the NHL, had the door slammed in their face Monday night. They lost 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators, rarely showing any jump in their defeat.
The Sens scored the game’s first two goals and the last three in their lopsided win. Only J.T. Brown scored for the Lightning.
Mark Stone had two goals and an assist for Ottawa. Stone has five goals and three assists in the Senators’ last four games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy had won six straight, but he gave up four goals (the other was an empty-netter) on 28 shots.
Ottawa’s penalty killing is now seven-for-seven in the team’s two straight victories.
“We’ve been on a pretty good run, and it came crashing to a halt,” said Lighting coach Jon Cooper. “There are 82 games, and all of them can’t be a Picasso.”
The Lightning is now in a three-way tie with Detroit and Boston for second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Lightning plays at Montreal tonight, and is home against the Predators Friday night.
