While the Tampa Bay Lightning seek to match a season-high five-game win streak set from Dec. Corey Wootton . 15-23, the Ottawa Senators will by hoping to avoid going five straight games without a victory for the first time since a 0-3-2 drought from Oct. 25-Nov. 3 when the two teams meet Thursday night. Ottawa is 0-2-2 in its last four games and sits seven points back of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators lost their fourth in a row at home with Tuesdays 8-4 setback to the New York Rangers. Both Ottawa goaltenders struggled, with starter Robin Lehner stopping just 23-of-28 shots in his third straight start. Nathan Lawson made 10-of-12 saves in relief during the third period before exiting with an injury and forcing Lehner back into the game. Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad, Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan all had goals for the Senators. "I think were generating some offense but, again, were turning over the puck and putting our goalie in a tough spot and they havent been able to make the save," said Senators coach Paul MacLean. "We have to work to get open, we have to play for one another and we have to find them when theyre open." With No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson still out with a bruised left shoulder and Lawson now day-to-day with a lower-body issue, the Senators recalled netminder Andrew Hammond from the minors. The Senators lost their first two meetings with the Lightning this season, both in Tampa, before handing the Bolts a fifth straight loss in Ottawa with a 5-3 decision on Jan. 30. Ryan and Kyle Turris both had a goal and an assist, while Anderson made 35 saves. The Lightning meanwhile, will try to match their longest winning streak of the season. The Lightning have followed up a five-game losing streak by winning four straight, including Wednesdays big divisional meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Steven Stamkos notched a natural hat trick in the 5-3 victory, giving him five goals in his last four games. The forward has 19 goals and 30 points in just 24 games this season, having missed time with a broken leg. Stamkos had a solid homecoming, posting his second hat trick of the season and seventh of his career. "There might have been a little extra energy coming back home and playing this game in front of family and friends," Stamkos, a native of nearby Markham, Ontario said. "Especially with the magnitude of the game and how tight we are in the playoff race." Radko Gudas and Tyler Johnson had goals, Ryan Malone and Valtteri Filppula notched two assists each and Ben Bishop came up with 36 saves, including 21 in the third period. The game did see a scary incident in the final seconds of the first period when Tampa forward Alex Killorn was issued a major for boarding and a game misconduct for a hit on Leafs defenseman Paul Ranger. Ranger was immobilized and removed from the arena on a stretcher. He was taken to a local hospital for observation, and the Leafs stated later that Ranger was in stable condition, conscious and alert. "Pretty unfortunate," Killorn said. "Happy that he is OK. I heard through the PR and stuff that he is doing all right now. Its kind of a scary moment, one of those plays where I commit to hit someone without knowing if they are going to turn, so its just an unfortunate play." The victory moved the Lightning into a tie with the Montreal Canadiens for second place in the Atlantic Division with 83 points. That is three ahead of the fourth-place Maple Leafs. Both Bishop and Filppula suffered injuries in that meeting for the Lighting. Chuck Foreman . -- Xavier Thames dropped in 3s from deep, finessed floaters in the lane and carried San Diego State the way he did all season as the Mountain West player of the year. Chris Doleman .com) - The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Seth Curry on Tuesday.PITTSBURGH -- Recovering from a stroke, Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang said his doctors have reassured him that hell be play hockey again. When that could happen is unclear. The 26-year-old Letang spoke to the media before the Penguins faced Montreal on Thursday night, the first time he has spoken to reporters since having the stroke on a West Coast trip before the Olympic break. "Im targeting it day-by-day," Letang said. "Im trying to improve every day I come here. I try to exercise the best I can. I see doctors pretty much every week, twice a week to get better. So well go from there." Doctors are treating Letang with blood thinners and he has been doing light exercises without weights. "(Doctors) said being 26 and having a stroke, its actually a small percentage, but the chance that I get back to normal is really high," Letang said. "Well take the decision from there, but for now, were keeping like this. ... Im going day-by-day to get to 100 per cent," Letang said. "I feel like Im trying to make steps and getting closer to coming back at one point." The last month has been particularly difficult for his family. "When you see your mom crying or your wife, any of my family members, its always a tough thing to handle," Letang said. "Everbody is really careful, like I cant even lift the lluggage without them trying to help me out. Lestar Jean. Otherwise its just been mentally tough a little bit." Letang said his wife found him on the ground the morning before the team flew to Los Angeles and his mother-in-law, who is a nurse and was also on the trip, took care of him. "I was not able to function," Letang said. "The day before I was totally fine, I was practicing. I woke up and didnt expect that would happen. I went in the car and went to Los Angeles and thought it would clear up but it never did." Letang, from Montreal, has 54 goals and 173 assists in 419 games in eight seasons with the Penguins. He signed a $58 million, eight-year contract extension last summer, but has been plagued by injuries this season, missing 19 games with an elbow infection and a lower-body injury before the stroke. Letangs most recent game was Jan. 27 against Buffalo. After being a Norris Trophy finalist last season, he has 10 goals -- matching a career high -- and 18 assists in 34 games for the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins. "Im not going to say its not a really good season for me," Letang said. "Two of (my injuries) were kind of bad luck, but honestly, if I have the chance to come back this year and play, its going to be great. I want to make sure I forget all about the three-quarters of the season I missed." ' ' '
