Puck luck was not on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s side in an abysmal loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first of three games on the road. Jon Cooper decided to roll with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Victor Hedman returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with an injury. After a strong first period everything began to go downhill for the Bolts and the Hurricanes defense certainly did not help with that. There were numerous chances to score yet for some reason the puck could not find the back of the net for Tampa. In the third period the number of forwards would go down to 10 causing another obstacle to climb.
Good start, not so good power play
Lightning’s top line started the aggression early testing the Hurricanes defense early. Then, Carolina’s back checking was tricky for Tamp Bay to handle. Lightning would get the first power play of the night which slowed down the momentum shift the Hurricanes were creating. A dominate power play saw the Bolts come up empty handed. Instead, Carolina would get a short-handed goal to take the 1-0 lead. Seth Jarvis had the perfect setup for the shot that Andrei Vasilevskiy had no chance in saving
Puck luck is unkind
Once again, Lightning had scoring chances, but puck luck continued to be against them. Next, Carolina would get their chance on the power play with 9:47 to go in the period. Lightning killed off the penalty and did not have much to worry about on the penalty kill. Carolina continued to disrupt the puck which made it for the Lightning to move up the ice. Later on, two penalties would be called on the same play. Gage Goncalves was given a penalty for hooking and Shane Gostisbehere for interference. As a result, 4-on-4 would be played for a couple of minutes. Again, puck luck continued to plague the Bolts and could not find the back of the net.
Looking for an answer
For four periods in a row now the Lightning have not scored. They looked to change that and tie the game up in the process. Again, Lightning continued the aggression but could not find an answer to Pyotr Kochetkov. There was one shift where Tampa was unable to clear the puck out of the zone, but no damage was done. After, Carolina would get their second chance on the power play hoping to extend their lead. Lightning killed off the penalty and the score remained 1-0 Hurricanes. The score would not remain 1-0 and that would not be good news for the Bolts.
Storm surge
Puck luck continued to go against the Lightning as the Hurricanes extended the lead. After Vasy made a couple of big saves, Lightning could not clear the puck and Jordan Martinook’s shot bounced off Vasilevskiy’s stick and in for the 2-0 lead. For the remainder of the period the Lightning could not score and instead Carolina would extend their lead on a 2-on-1 rush. Jack Roslovic scored in the final minute of the period to extend the lead 3-0. The scoreless drought continued for the Lightning as the game continued to slip away.
Scoreless drought ends
Another period, another hope to eradicate the scoring drought. Nikita Kucherov was not on the bench to start the period which was a concern since they only started the game with 11 forwards. Bolts would have to score quick to have any hopes of getting back into the game. Eventually the drought would end with 15 minutes left in the period thanks to Goncalves. His goal would make it a two-goal game and there was plenty of time left to try and tie the game. This would be the first goal the Lightning scored since last Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Gonzo Goal 🚨 pic.twitter.com/F0tPEXjU2c
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 12, 2025
Brutal defeat
Unfortunately, Hurricanes would quickly answer back, and the score was now 4-1. All hope would be lost after that goal as the defense crumbled. Ever since the first period the game just went worse and worse for the Lightning. A third penalty would be called on the Lightning this time being a bench minor. On said power play, Hedman is called for a delay of game giving Carolina a prime 5-on-3 opportunity. The only bright side of the game for the Bolts is that Carolina was 0/5 on the power play. Overall, Hurricanes dominated for a majority of the game and went on to win 4-1. Next up is a trip to Philadelphia to face the Flyers om Thursday.
Three stars of the game
1st star: Pyotr Kochetkov – Saved 23 of 24 shots faced
2nd star: Sean Walker – 1 goal
3rd star: Jack Roslovic – 1 goal
