Shane Pinto’s late brace settles senators vs lightning thriller on Opening Night

Score & Status — senators vs lightning

• Status: Final

• Score: Ottawa Senators 5–4 Tampa Bay Lightning

• Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Florida

Kickoff (Time Zones)

• USA (ET) — Thu, Oct 9, 7:00 PM

• USA (PT) — Thu, Oct 9, 4:00 PM

• Canada (Toronto) — Thu, Oct 9, 7:00 PM

• UK (London) — Fri, Oct 10, 12:00 AM

Live Timeline (Key Moments)

• 5:35 1st — TB 1–0 OTT: Oliver Bjorkstrand, PPG (set up by Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point).

• 7:00 1st — TB 2–0 OTT: Brayden Point snipes from the right circle.

• 10:18 1st — TB 2–1 OTT: Dylan Cozens, PPG, off a Brady Tkachuk feed.

• 14:46 1st — TB 3–1 OTT: Nikita Kucherov, PPG, glove side.

• 0:42 2nd — TB 3–2 OTT: Artem Zub’s point shot kisses iron and in.

• 15:09 2nd — 3–3: Pinto equalizes on a breakaway to flip momentum.

• 18:13 3rd — OTT 4–3 TB: Pinto jams home the rebound for the winner (1:47 left).

• 19:12 3rd — OTT 5–3 TB: Claude Giroux hits the empty net.

• 19:46 3rd — OTT 5–4 TB: Kucherov’s late strike sets up a frantic finish.

(A classic senators vs lightning swing: Tampa’s three in the first, answered by four straight from Ottawa.)

Standout Performers & Turning Points

• Shane Pinto — 2G, GWG at 58:13; added an assist on Giroux’s ENG.

• Artem Zub — Goal and two helpers; his early-second-period strike ignited the comeback.

• Brady Tkachuk — Captain’s imprint all over it with three primary setups and relentless net-front work.

• Linus Ullmark — 21 saves; settled after the opening onslaught, key stops on Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli preserved parity late.

• Tampa’s stars — Brayden Point (1G, 2A) drove pace; Nikita Kucherov (2G) nearly rescued a point.

• Turning point — Pinto’s breakaway equalizer at 35:09 of total time (15:09 of the 2nd) flipped a noisy arena and gave Ottawa the belief to finish the job.

Lineups & Shape (notable notes)

• Ottawa ran a balanced top-nine with Tkachuk–Stützle driving Zone 1 entries, and the Pinto line punishing turnovers in transition. Zub–Sanderson handled the toughest minutes and were on for the tide-turning goals.

• Tampa leaned on the Kucherov–Point–Guentzel trio for repeat entries and power-play bite; Brandon Hagel added forecheck pressure, drew contact, and tested Ullmark multiple times but took a first-period minor that invited Ottawa back onto the puck.

Match Stats (official snapshot)

senators vs lightning

For Ottawa, this is a confidence-building road statement: chase down a two-goal deficit, lean on special teams, and watch a center in Pinto seize the moment. The Sens start 1-0-0 with two points, a signature night from Zub on the blue line, and leadership production from Tkachuk. For Tampa Bay, there’s plenty of offense at the top of the lineup, but game management and penalty discipline will be under Cooper’s microscope after letting a 3–1 first-period cushion slip. Expect the Lightning—and Brandon Hagel in particular—to be central to the response when these teams see each other again. The senators vs lightning season set is already humming.