A commitment to defence has been a central theme for the Senators, not just Tkachuk, under new head coach Travis Green. The Senators have the sixth-best goals-against rate in the league, a 180-degree turn from the fifth-worst in the league last season.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Anton Forsberg made 25 saves, including 16 in the first period, to win his first game in two months for the Ottawa Senators, a 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Tampa Bay isn’t piling up points, especially on the road, while other Atlantic Division teams are surging into the playoff picture.

The Canadiens’ Lane Hutson extended his assist and point streaks (13 points; one goal, 12 assists) to nine games, tying the NHL record for the longest assist streak by a rookie defenseman, set by Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015-16.

Jake Guentzel, who won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017, had two assists to become the second player in Lightning history with at least 20 goals and 40 points in his first 40 games with the franchise. Guentzel signed a seven-year deal with the Lightning in the offseason.

The Ottawa Senators surprised the NHL when a hot streak in December landed them squarely in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Senators have gone 2-3-1 th

TAMPA — The Lightning on Monday placed forward Gage Goncalves on waivers, an indication the team is looking to improve its struggling bottom-six group. Goncalves, a second-round pick in 2020, had just one goal and one assist and was minus-1 in 26 games with Tampa Bay this season.

Belleville Senators forward Tyler Boucher, Brantford Bulldogs 20-year-old Tomas Hamara (who is signed) and big Finnish defenseman Eerik Wallenius were also considered for the fourth tier and are comparable prospects to the final four players ranked.

The Senators (23-18-4) are in the middle of the Atlantic Division after the win, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Ottawa has been inconsistent at times ...

Goaltender Linus Ullmark skated on Tuesday after the Senators' morning skate to do some on-ice rehab work. Linus Ullmark heading to the ice for some rehab work after most of the players are off the ice after the morning skate. pic.twitter.com/S1bNzg0zzS

Ottawa took a 2-1 lead 2:50 into the third period when Artem Zub wristed a shot through a bunch a bodies that got past New Jersey goalie Jacob Markstrom, who came into the game with a 21-8-5 record and 2.20 goals-against average. The Senators held the Devils to just three shots in the third period.

Don't look now, but the Montreal Canadiens are occupying one of the wild card positions in the Eastern Conference. The upstart Canadiens are 7-2-1 in their last