The Tampa Bay Lightning ended a five-game homestand with a 5-1 Atlantic Division win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. A power-play goal gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes of hockey. Ottawa made it 1-1 early in the second period, but a Brandon Hagel goal regained the lead midway through the frame.

Tampa Bay moved into a tie with Ottawa for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning beat the Senators 4-3 on Tuesday night.

The Lightning are just one point out of a playoff spot at 27-20-4 overall with a 3-9-0 record against their Atlantic Division opponents. They’re averaging 3.4 goals per game which puts them fourth in the league, but the past month has proven to be their most difficult hurdle offensively.

If the Lightning end up making a push to the postseason, these might end up being the days that began their second-half surge. When the week began, they were outside a playoff spot with two games against an Ottawa team four points ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings.

Ottawa, who will be playing the second part of a back-to-back Tuesday, is coming off a 5-2 win against Nashville Monday night. They’ve won their last five games and have taken over the third place spot in the Atlantic division.

Without Shane Pinto and Josh Norris, the Ottawa Senators struggled to generate offense. They managed just one goal in the 5-1 loss to the Lightning. The post Ottawa Senators Postgame: Sens Fall to Lightning,