GAME DAY: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Ottawa Senators - 2:00pm ET - Sat. Mar. 23rd, 2013

wprager wrote:Someone tweeted that the Sens have something like 25% of their games starting before 7PM, while the "another Ontario" team had none. Double-checked, and it's true that the Leafs have zero afternoon games; the Sens have 11 (not quite 25%, but close).

On the one hand I can usually get away with watching most of the game live, on the other hand the Sens have, historically, had a tough time with afternoon games. They are 4-2-2 this year. They've scored 16 points in 8 games, but half of those points came last weekend (4-3 OT win in Buffalo and 4-1 against a tired Jets team). So, what to expect, a team that scored 8 goals through the first 6 afternoon games, or the one that scored 4 in each of the last two

Injuries are nothing new to the Ottawa Senators, though they're hoping the latest one doesn't cost them their hottest player for a game.

Sergei Gonchar is a game-time decision when the Senators continue their five-game homestand Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The veteran defenseman set a franchise record with an assist for the ninth consecutive game, helping on Kaspars Daugavins' second-period goal in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Boston. While Gonchar left late with an undisclosed injury and did not participate in Friday's practice, coach Paul MacLean seemed optimistic the 38-year-old would be able to anchor his team's blue line.

"He had improvement so we're positive for tomorrow," MacLean said of Gonchar, who has team highs of 19 assists and 21 points. "It looks like he's going to be able to go as well as (defenseman Marc) Methot. They're both important players and we need them to play if they can."

Methot missed Thursday's contest with a lower-body injury. Ottawa (16-9-6) has dealt with long-term injuries to top center Jason Spezza, Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and defenseman Jared Cowen and also has lost No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson and forward Milan Michalek for extended periods of time.

Robin Lehner, who made 27 saves Thursday, will start again as the Senators try to bounce back from just their second regulation loss at home (10-2-3). Ben Bishop gave up five goals in a 6-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Jan. 25 -- the most allowed by Ottawa this season -- when Ryan Malone rallied the Lightning with a pair of third-period goals.

"They're a dangerous, dangerous team and if you allow them to have possession of the puck and play in your zone, they're going to give you a lot of headaches with (Steven) Stamkos and (Martin) St. Louis," MacLean noted.

Stamkos and St. Louis, though, have only one goal between them in the four games since center Vincent Lecavalier was put on the injured list with a lower-body injury, with Stamkos scoring into an empty net in Monday's 4-2 win over Philadelphia.

The Lightning (13-16-1) opened a three-game road swing through Canada with a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Wednesday, yielding three goals in a 6:30 span of the second period that created an insurmountable four-goal deficit.

"It took us too much time to get our legs," coach Guy Boucher said. "We're a hard-working fast team and it didn't look like that the first half.

"We looked like we were waiting to see what was going to happen out there," he added. "I don't know if it was because the guys froze or it was a road game -- I can't tell you. But it wasn't a good game to start."

And getting that first goal has been critical to Tampa Bay's limited success on the road. The Lightning are 4-2-0 when they take a 1-0 lead in an opponent's arena and 1-7-0 when they concede the first goal. Additionally, they have dropped seven of eight at Ottawa and failed to score more than two goals in any of their last nine contests in the Canadian capital.

With 891 points, St. Louis is one shy of moving into a tie with Peter Bondra for 100th on the all-time NHL list. St. Louis, who has notched an assist in three straight games, had two in the January win over Ottawa and 13 goals and 37 points in 45 lifetime games versus the Senators.

LIGHTNING (13-16-1) at SENATORS (16-9-6)

TV: SUN, SNET-E, TVA

Last 10: Tampa Bay 4-6-0; Ottawa 4-3-3

Season series: Second of three meetings. Ryan Malone scored twice and Steven Stamkos finished with a goal and two assists as the Lightning topped the Senators 6-4 in Tampa Bay on Jan. 25 as part of their 6-1-0 start to the season.

Big story: Veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar didn't play the last 10 minutes of Thursday's game for Ottawa and the Senators have to hope it's nothing serious.

Gonchar has turned back the clock this season. He has scored as many as 67 points in a season in his career, which dates back to the previous lockout-shortened season of 1994-95 with the Capitals, but compiled only 64 points total in his first two seasons with the Senators.

Now, with Erik Karlsson out, Gonchar has been on a tear. He has a goal and 13 assists during a nine-game points streak, and has taken over the team scoring lead with 21 points in 28 games.

Team Scope:

Lightning: Goaltending issues plagued Tampa Bay again on Wednesday in Toronto, as starter Mathieu Garon was pulled in the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in favor of Anders Lindback. To add injury to insult, Lindback ended up leaving the game in the third with a high ankle sprain, and is out indefinitely. The Lightning were down four goals after 40 minutes, and scores in the third by Radko Gudas (his first in the NHL) and Cory Conacher amounted to little more than window dressing.

"It was unfortunate that we did that to ourselves," Conacher said. "We are going to have to get those two points back and hopefully rebound in the next game."

Senators: The good news for Ottawa is its opponent Saturday afternoon isn't Northeast Division rival Boston. The Senators are 10-2-3 at Scotiabank Place this season, among the best home records in the League, but they've now lost 11 in a row at home against the Bruins dating back to 2009 after Thursday's 2-1 defeat. They scored the first goal, courtesy of Kaspars Daugavins, but were stopped on the other 27 shots they put on Anton Khudobin. A strong outing by Robin Lehner, who also made 27 saves, went to waste when Dennis Seidenberg scored with 1:04 left in regulation.

"We're trying to win the game," defenseman Chris Phillips said. "We're not thinking about overtime; the reality was we were one minute away and we were going to get a point. To come out with nothing is tough."

Who's hot: Martin St. Louis has an assist in three straight games for the Lightning. His 32 assists are second in the League to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

Injury report: In addition to Lindback being out, Tampa Bay has Malone (shoulder) and fellow forwards Benoit Pouliot (shoulder) and Vincent Lecavalier (lower body) on injured reserve. … Ottawa hoped to learn more on Gonchar's condition Friday, though coach Paul MacLean said after Thursday's game, "I'm not too concerned about it." That's good, because he's already without goalie Craig Anderson (ankle), Karlsson (Achilles) and fellow defensemen Jared Cowen (hip) and Marc Methot (lower body) and forwards Jason Spezza (back), Dave Dziurzynski (concussion) and Milan Michalek (knee).

LeKing wrote:Sorry to break your 8 posts in a row streak, but is Gonchar playing?