Zack Smith turned his pre-game embarrassment into post-game smiles Monday night.

Smith’s Ottawa Senators teammates were all over him for slipping on the ice before the game, while accepting a trophy as the club’s player of the month for November.

Yet after delivering a two-goal performance and another solid defensive game in shutting down the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top players in a 4-2 comeback victory, the early fall ended up simply being a funny footnote in yet another third period rally by the Senators.

“The guys gave me a hard time for a bit there, until the puck dropped and it took me a few minutes to shake it off,” Smith said, with a laugh, after the game. “It lightened things up a bit at the start of the game. The crowd was laughing. It took a little while to get over it.”

It also took awhile for the Senators to find their feet.

Returning home to Scotiabank Place after playing their previous three games – and nine of their previous 10 – on the road, they looked rusty and out of sync until rallying late in the third period.

They can thank goaltender Craig Anderson, who faced 33 shots, for keeping them close.

Martin St. Louis gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead 3:35 into the third period.

The tide turned when Daniel Alfredsson scored at the 8:58 mark, breaking a personal seven-game goal scoring drought, tying the game and prompting chants of “Alfie, Alfie” from the crowd of 18,742 and igniting the Senators rally.

Nick Foligno then beat Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson on a wraparound and Smith finished off the scoring on a breakaway with 3:41 remaining. Smith now has eight goals on the season.

“When the captain scores that goal, it’s huge,” Smith said. “We were flying after that.”

The Senators, who play nine games at home this month, wouldn’t have been in position to stage the comeback without the solid play of Anderson. Fittingly, it was a long breakout pass from Anderson to Jason Spezza which helped set up Alfredsson’s goal. Anderson already has three assists, tying a career high.

“The goalie played real good in the second period (the Lightning outshot the Senators 12-5) and gave us an opportunity to be tied going into the third period and the team took charge in the third period,” said coach Paul MacLean. “I thought the play of the Zack Smith line was outstanding all night long. They did a good job against the (Steven) Stamkos group and they came up with a couple of big goals, as well.”

Smith praised the play of Anderson, as well.

“The big part of it is Andy’s been keeping us in the games and until the third, when unfortunately, it sometimes takes us 40 minutes to get going and then capitalize on our chances,” he said. “Good goaltenders help you win games like that. The leadership in the room also deserves credit, too.”

After a scoreless opening period, the Lightning’s Bruno Gervais and Smith exchanged goals late in the second period, sending the teams into the third deadlocked 1-1.

While the Senators have been an early season positive surprise, the Lightning have been a surprise because they haven’t followed up last year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals last season. They’ve lost four in a row, sit five points behind Ottawa and own a record of 11-13-2, 13th in the Conference.

The Senators, meanwhile, keeping finding a way to get it done.

“It’s a gutsy win,” said Spezza. “That was a tough game for us. We were pretty tired coming back off the road and to come back like that and win is huge.”

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GAME FILE

WHY THEY WON: Yet another impressive third period comeback. Just when you think the run of late rallies is going to end, the Senators once again found a way to get it done. The Senators remain the league’s highest scoring third period team.

STUD: Daniel Alfredsson, Senators. The Senators captain isn’t finished just yet. Alfredsson broke a seven-game scoring drought to tie the game 2-2, blasting a slapshot past Dwayne Roloson. He then assisted on Nick Foligno’s game winner with 4:27 left.

DUD: Dwayne Roloson, Lightning. Roloson has lost the magic from his strong regular season and playoff run with Tampa a year ago. Alfredsson’s goal came from a long way out. Roloson moved the wrong way on Foligno’s game winning goal and Zack Smith put the game away by easily beating him on a deke.

BIG SUGAR, BIG GUITAR: Gordie Johnson, guitarist of the Canadian blues band Big Sugar, offered up a change of pace from anthem singer Lyndon Slewidge to start the game. Johnson made like Jimi Hendrix in playing an instrumental version of O Canada.

Tags: Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning