OTTAWA (Ticker) -- Radek Bonk matched a franchise record and linemate Marian Hossa set one as the Ottawa Senators embarrassed the Tampa Bay Lightning in an 8-3 victory.

Bonk posted his first career hat trick and finished with a club record-tying six points, matching Dan Quinn's effort on October 15, 1995.

"I took a nap today and when I woke up, I felt great," Bonk said. "I hadn't felt like that in a while. I got a couple of lucky bounces and wound up with six points."

Hossa added a franchise-record five assists, one more than the previous mark, accomplished most recently by Vaclav Prospal on March 21 against Atlanta.

"Bonk and Hossa are shooting more at the net and becoming more successful," Senators coach Jacques Martin said. "Bonk had six shots after the second period. It was a good night for them."

Wade Redden added a pair of goals for the Senators, who scored eight in a game for the first time since a 9-3 win over the Lightning on March 8, 1999. They also recorded a season-high 44 shots.

"It feels great tonight, but tomorrow we have to forget about it and think about new days and new games," Hossa said.

The outburst was surprising, considering Ottawa combined for seven goals in its previous four games and 11 during a recent six-game winless streak (0-4-2).

After going eight games without one, Bonk scored three goals in a contest for the first time since he was taken third overall in the 1994 draft.

Tampa Bay got within 3-2 on rookie Alexander Kharitonov's goal 7:42 into the second period, but Bonk needed only 47 seconds to restore a two-goal lead.

The Senators claimed their second straight win and tied Toronto atop the Northeast Division. They also matched Buffalo for the Eastern Conference lead with their 13th home victory, improving to 13-5-3-0 at the Corel Centre.

Kevin Weekes lasted just over 1 1/2 periods in the nets for the Lightning, who have lost three in a row and are winless in their last four games (0-3-1-0). They have the worst road mark in the league at 3-14-2-2.

Tampa Bay opened the scoring on Brian Holzinger's fifth goal 1:57 into the game, but Bonk scored shorthanded at 4:01 and assisted on Redden's first goal 90 seconds later as the Senators grabbed the lead for good.

Andre Roy also scored in the first period for Ottawa, which took a 3-1 lead into the locker room.

"We put ourselves behind the eight-ball, going down two goals in the first," Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis said. "It's hard to get back from that because you can't run and gun against a team like Ottawa."

Shortly after Kharitonov scored his fourth to get Tampa Bay within a goal for the final time, Bonk picked up a rebound of Hossa's slap shot and backhanded the puck by Weekes.

That was it for Weekes, who was hurt by several defensive lapses and stopped only 17 shots over 31:31. He had given up only 13 first-period goals in 19 games.

Even after Hossa failed on a penalty shot, Ottawa scored the first three goals of the third period to make it a laugher.

Redden matched a career high with his second of the night at 4:52 and rookie Martin Havlat added his 10th of the season at 8:30 for a 6-2 lead.

With 9:17 left, Bonk completed the hat trick when his snap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle deflected off a pair of Lightning players and past goaltender Dan Cloutier.

"Even though it was lucky, I planned it that way," joked Bonk, who has 14 goals this season. "Bang, bang, in."

Ryan Johnson scored a power-play goal with 5:26 to play for Tampa Bay, but Magnus Arvedson answered on the man advantage for Ottawa, netting his 10th with 1:56 left.

Arvedson, who plays on a line with Bonk and Hossa, also had an assist, giving the trio 13 points.

"All three of us like to play the same style of hockey, defensive first, and when we're in their zone, we cycle the puck and shoot a lot," Bonk said.

KANATA, Ontario (Ticker) -- Owners of the fewest road wins in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lighting look to win at Corel Centre for the first time in over three years Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.

Tampa Bay, which is a dismal 3-15-2 on the road this season, has lost its last five trips to Ottawa dating to a 3-1 triumph on December 13, 1997. The Lighting are in the midst of a four-game road trip and are coming off a 3-2 loss at Carolina in Wednesday's opener.

Lightning goaltender Dan Cloutier struggled in Wednesday's loss and was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots. Tampa Bay held a lopsided 38-20 margin in shots but could not climb out of the early hole.

Tampa Bay's Brad Richards had an assist in the contest and leads all rookies with 33 points.

The Lightning could be without defenseman Jassen Cullimore, who suffered a head injury after taking an elbow from Carolina's Ron Francis on Wednesday. He did not return and is questionable for tonight's contest.

Ottawa ended a four-game losing streak and six-game winless drought with a 3-1 victory over St. Louis on Tuesday. Andre Roy scored for the first time in more than 11 months and Patrick Lalime recorded 33 saves as the Senators posted their first home victory over the Blues in nearly five years.

Ironically, the Senators have played well when outshot. Ottawa has been outshot 15 times this season and is 9-3-3 in such contests.

Ottawa is fighting for first place in both the Northeast Division and Eastern Conference standings. It enters tonight's game two points in back of Toronto for both.

The Senators received a lift to their offense on Tuesday when Magnus Arvedson returned after missing 19 games with a broken left foot. Arvedson has played well against Tampa Bay during his career, registering eight goals and four assists in nine games.

Ottawa routed Tampa Bay in the first meeting of the season, 6-0 on October 27. Radek Bonk had a goal and two assists while rookie Jani Hurme recorded his first career shutout in place of the injured Lalime by making 24 saves.

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