Over the past two games, the Ottawa Senators had a chance to put eight points between themselves and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, the Lightning won both games and moved past the Sens in the standings.

Analyzing Thursday’s Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.

On the surface, Tampa Bay is a run-of-the-mill opponent for allowing shots with a 13th-ranked 50.7 Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 and surrendering a middling 28.4 shots per game. The Lightning do allow the sixth-most shots per game to opposing wingers, though, so Tkachuk is positioned to have oodles of shooting opportunities again tonight.