Senators finally get home win with victory over Lightning

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators finally remembered how to hold onto a lead.

Marian Hossa scored the game-winner and set up Radek Bonk for the insurance goal as the Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Saturday night.

The Senators dropped four straight at home before Saturday's game, losing third-period leads in three of them.

"In those losses, we had the lead but didn't protect it," said Hossa, who has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 20 games. "When we got the lead, we said, 'Just play the same way, don't change anything.'"

Sami Salo also scored for the Senators and Bonk added two assists.

Sheldon Keefe scored Tampa Bay's lone goal.

"I thought in spurts, we played pretty well," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "But if we want to win, we have to play better -- not in spurts."

The game marked the return of popular former Senators enforcer Andre Roy, who was traded to the Lightning along with a sixth-round draft pick March 15 for center Juha Ylonen.

Salo opened the scoring on a power play with 3:51 left in the opening period, when his shot from the slot deflected off a defender past Lightning goaltender Dieter Kochan.

Keefe tied the game at 8:38 into the second period, beating Senators netminder Patrick Lalime with a wrist shot from the slot.

Senators forward Josh Langfeld, who was making his NHL debut, left the game with a concussion after being hit into the boards by Roy.

"Tampa Bay got me to do a job and if the opportunity is there, I'm going to finish my checks," said Roy. "I hope he's OK."

Hossa regained the lead for Ottawa at 5:06 of the final period, bursting down the left side and ripping a shot past Kochan. Just over five minutes later, Hossa found Bonk alone at the top of the slot and Bonk teed up a blast that found the short side.

"We showed everybody that we can still do it," said Bonk, who has 13 points in eight games.

The Senators outshot the Lightning 36-17.

Ottawa had only one victory in its previous six games (1-3-0-2).

Tampa Bay set a franchise record with points in eight consecutive games (3-0-4-1) from March 10-24 but Saturday's match was the final game of a fruitless three-game road trip.

Notes: Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson remained in hospital Saturday with a bad cold. Neilson, who has been battling cancer, left the bench at the end of the second period of Ottawa's 4-3 loss to Florida on Thursday and went to hospital as a precaution. ... Forward Martin Havlat, the Senators' fourth leading scorer, is expected to miss a week after re-injuring his groin Thursday for the third time this season. ... Langfeld, 24, from Fridley, Minn., was called up from Grand Rapids to replace Havlat. ... Ottawa defenseman Zdeno Chara, fourth in league hits (265), returned from a four-game absence (flu) to play his 300th NHL game.