Senators rally past Lightning 5-4 in opener as Pinto scores late

Tampa Bay lost its season opener to Ottawa on Thursday night as Shane Pinto scored with 1:47 remaining to lift the Senators to a 5-4 victory at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. The win completed a comeback for Ottawa after the Lightning built a two-goal lead in the first period.

Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring for Tampa Bay with a power-play finish 5:35 into the first period. Brayden Point added a goal less than two minutes later to make it 2-0. Dylan Cozens cut the deficit with a power-play goal midway through the period, and Nikita Kucherov restored a two-goal advantage for the Lightning later in the stanza with another man-advantage tally.

Artem Zub began Ottawa’s rally early in the second, his shot deflecting off the post and the Tampa Bay goaltender to make it 3-2. Pinto converted a breakaway at 4:51 of the second to tie the game. Jake Sanderson intercepted a pass at center ice late in the third and drove the puck toward the net, where Pinto knocked in a loose puck to give Ottawa the lead at 4:43. Claude Giroux added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.

Pinto finished with two goals, Brady Tkachuk had three assists and Dylan Cozens and Zub also scored for...