Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar 28, 2026. Final score: Ottawa Senators 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 4.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Mar 28, 2026 |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Ottawa Senators score | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 4 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Emil Lilleberg | D | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14:58 | 0.14 | 2.93 |
| 2nd | Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17:29 | 0.05 | 2.67 |
| 3rd | Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22:17 | 0.71 | 2.30 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Ottawa Senators–Tampa Bay Lightning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 00:18 | OTT | Dylan Cozens | Tyler Kleven, Brady Tkachuk | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 04:25 | OTT | Jordan Spence | Nick Cousins, Artem Zub | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 03:37 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Emil Lilleberg | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 05:14 | TBL | Charle-Edouard D'Astous | Yanni Gourde, Zemgus Girgensons | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 3rd 08:51 | TBL | Emil Lilleberg | Brandon Hagel, Gage Goncalves | 5v5 | 2–3 |
| 3rd 17:48 | TBL | Jake Guentzel | Corey Perry, Emil Lilleberg | 5v5 | 2–4 |
Team Comparison
| Ottawa Senators | Tampa Bay Lightning | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 4 |
| Shots on goal | 28 | 27 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.00 | 2.87 |
| High-danger shots | 10 | 12 |
| Corsi % | 40.8% | 59.2% |
| Power play | 0/2 | 0/3 |
| Faceoff % | 54.7% | 45.3% |
| Hits | 23 | 21 |
| Blocks | 25 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 18 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 1 |
Ottawa Senators Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Spence | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 22:41 | 0.38 | 1.34 |
| Nick Cousins | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11:05 | 0.40 | 1.07 |
| Artem Zub | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:02 | 0.05 | 0.88 |
| Dylan Cozens | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15:03 | 0.18 | 0.81 |
| Tyler Kleven | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27:04 | 0.10 | 0.66 |
| Brady Tkachuk | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16:55 | 0.48 | 0.54 |
| Michael Amadio | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:19 | 0.24 | 0.44 |
| Lars Eller | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:49 | 0.00 | 0.31 |
| Shane Pinto | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:03 | 0.00 | 0.25 |
| Fabian Zetterlund | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:13 | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| Ridly Greig | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:13 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Drake Batherson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:51 | 0.44 | -0.08 |
| Lassi Thomson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:24 | 0.01 | -0.14 |
| Warren Foegele | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10:47 | 0.07 | -0.18 |
| Claude Giroux | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:53 | 0.10 | -0.22 |
| Nikolas Matinpalo | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:41 | 0.07 | -0.33 |
| Tim Stützle | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21:41 | 0.28 | -0.46 |
| Carter Yakemchuk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:58 | 0.00 | -0.66 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14:58 | 0.14 | 2.93 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17:29 | 0.05 | 2.67 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22:17 | 0.71 | 2.30 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:06 | 0.16 | 1.13 |
| Corey Perry | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 14:35 | 0.28 | 1.05 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 19:25 | 0.27 | 0.80 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:44 | 0.19 | 0.63 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15:54 | 0.15 | 0.47 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:31 | 0.00 | 0.42 |
| Scott Sabourin | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5:50 | 0.07 | 0.18 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:05 | 0.09 | 0.00 |
| Steven Santini | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1:49 | 0.00 | -0.01 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:44 | 0.08 | -0.06 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:48 | 0.02 | -0.09 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:11 | 0.00 | -0.22 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25:32 | 0.32 | -0.25 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:45 | 0.01 | -0.52 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:17 | 0.06 | -0.61 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Reimer | Ottawa Senators | 23 | 27 | 85.2% | -1.58 | L |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 26 | 28 | 92.9% | 0.89 | W |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 4–2 on Mar 28, 2026.
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 2.87 expected goals to Ottawa Senators's 3.0 — Ottawa Senators owned the better of the chances but Tampa Bay Lightning took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Emil Lilleberg led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.93 on 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 28, worth 0.89 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Ottawa Senators vs Tampa Bay Lightning game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Ottawa Senators 4–2 on Mar 28, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Ottawa Senators 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Emil Lilleberg led all skaters at 2.93, on 1G, 2A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 2.87 expected goals and Ottawa Senators generated 3.0, so Ottawa Senators created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Ottawa Senators put 28 shots on goal and Tampa Bay Lightning put 27. High-danger chances went 10 to 12.
How did the goaltenders play?
James Reimer stopped 23 of 27 (-1.58 goals saved above expected); Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 28 (0.89 goals saved above expected).