Spezza's OT goal lifts Senators past Lightning

OTTAWA — Jason Spezza scored a power-play goal 4:17 into overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

Spezza, sidelined the previous two games because of back pain, drove a slap shot past Antero Niittymaki after Tampa Bay's Mattias Ohlund was sent off for holding 3 minutes into overtime. Spezza also assisted on Daniel Alfredsson's first-period goal.

Mike Fisher also scored for Ottawa (7-4-2) and Pascal Leclaire made 18 saves in the third meeting between the two teams this season, the second in seven days.

Alex Tanguay and Steven Stamkos scored power-play goals for Tampa Bay (5-4-5). The Lightning are 1-1-1 on a four-game trip that included a 2-1 overtime win in Toronto on Tuesday night. Stamkos has 12 goals this season.

Niittymaki stopped 26 shots in his second start in a row.

Stamkos drew the Lightning even at 2 when he drove a slap shot past Pascal Leclaire 13:40 into the second for Tampa Bay's second power-play goal of the game.

Referee Kerry Fraser waved off a pair of Ottawa goals with under 5 minutes remaining in the third, including Chris Kelly's high-stick tip with 26.8 seconds left.

A brief video review confirmed Fraser's call.

The official drew the ire of the Scotiabank Place crowd moments earlier when he waved off another apparent go-ahead goal by the Senators with 4:09 remaining.

Fraser ruled that the Lightning gained possession while a delayed penalty was signaled against Tampa Bay's Andrej Meszaros before Picard put a backhand past Niittymaki.

Tanguay gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead 3:03 in with his second of the season.

Alfredsson drew Ottawa even just under 2 minutes later with his sixth goal.

Fisher scored on a power play 12 minutes into the second to give the Senators a brief 2-1 lead.

NOTES: With thousands of Canadian military personnel on hand for Armed Forces Appreciation Night, a moment of silence was observed prior to the game in memory of the victims of the shooting spree at Fort Hood. ... Tanguay has two goals and four assists in his last seven games. He had one point in his first seven games, an assist in the Lightning's 6-3 season-opening loss in Atlanta on Oct. 3. ... Tampa Bay beat Ottawa 5-2 at home one week earlier. Senators LW Milan Michalek had a hat trick in a 7-1 win over the Lightning on Oct. 15.

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Nov 5, 2009 - 11:36 p.m. EDT

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