Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov had three points each as the Lightning special teams stepped up in a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers. Anthony Cirelli would add two points on two shorthanded goals, and Tampa Bay would score twice on the power play.
The Lightning opened the scoring early once again. Kucherov scored his 16th goal of the season on a nice feed from Point and Guenzel on an early power play. Despite the early goal, the Rangers outshot the Bolts significantly in the opening period, 17-6.
Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy kept the Bolts in the game with key saves as the Rangers pressured, especially in the first period.
However, his luck would run dry for a moment halfway through the first period when Artemi Panarin got a wrister off on a pass from Vincent Trocheck. As always, though, Vasilevskiy would remain stoic in the net for the rest of the game. The all-star goalie stopped 42 of the 44 shots he faced.
The Rangers continued to pressure the Lightning in their defensive zone with quick passes and aggressive moves. Undeterred, the Bolts’ special teams would respond again late in the period.
Ryan McDonagh took a pass from Anthony Cirelli end-to-end on a penalty kill and put one past Igor Shesterkin with less than two minutes to play for a shorthanded goal.
The Bolts’ Special Teams come up huge
With another fast start in the second period, Point would score as he quickly climbs the NHL leaderboard with his 23rd goal of the season. Only three minutes in, Kucherov found Point after the Rangers turned the puck over deep in their zone.
The Bolts’ special teams effort continued to make big plays in the second period, too. Less than a week after giving up two shorthanded goals to the Florida Panthers a week ago, their fortune changed this evening for the better.
Cirelli and Brandon Hagel took a breakaway opportunity on the penalty kill to add another shorthanded goal to the night. Hagel would force Panarin to commit to him on the breakaway, and he found Cirelli on the backdoor to top-shelf the puck over Shesterkin.
Another shorty?
Another shorty. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2DeFF24Xg3
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 29, 2024
The second shorthanded goal of the night was their seventh of the season, only second to the Panthers.
Shesterkin’s night would end by the hand of the Lightning power play a few minutes later when a Point shot went off Guentzel’s skate. Jonathon Quick would then replace the struggling Shesterkin.
Bolts finish off the Rangers in Third
The third period started with a fast Ranger shorthanded goal of their own when Trocheck scored only 13 seconds into the period. It was the one special team lapse of the night.
The Bolts’ penalty kill unit continued to play well, especially with Ryan McDonagh’s gritty performance. At one point, Vasilevskiy was forced to move from post-to-post on an exchange of Ranger passes. McDonagh singlehandedly defended one post to end a scoring opportunity, scooping an errant puck out of the zone.
Although not the best game the Lightning could have played defensively, the puck certainly bounced their way Saturday night.
Nick Paul would close the door on New York with an unassisted goal late. He would not be denied and he fought for his own rebound to put on past the shoulder of Quick.
“I think we caught a team that’s been a little up and down lately,” Head Coach Jon Cooper said. “They controlled a lot of play.”
“We came out in the second period, did our thing, and got the lead. Our goalie (Vasilevskiy) was outstanding. We executed in special teams. We did our thing.”
Hedman Top of the Class
With tonight’s start, Victor Hedman passed Steven Stamkos for the most games played in Tampa Bay Lightning franchise history with 1,083 games. Hedman made his NHL debut with the Lightning on October 3, 2009.
Three Stars of the Game
1. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay. Earned three points with a goal and two assists.
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay. Just like Point, three points with a power play goal and two assists.
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped 42 of 44 shots. He literally was the backbone of the defense and kept the Rangers at bay. He doesn’t make those saves, this is a totally different outcome.
Up Next
The back-to-back home stand continues Sunday as the Lightning (20-11-2, 42 pts.) host Bolt legend and now Coach Martin St. Louis and the Montreal Canadiens (15-17-3, 33 pts.) at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is at 5 p.m.
