The schedule makers did not exactly smile on the Lightning when they assigned them just two home games in the opening month. Three road games to start the season. The first one could be described as a dud. But game 2 was anything but as our beloved Bolts returned to winning! It was a pretty dominant looking 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Firing in the First
In the 2021-2022 season, the Bolts did not have a first period goal in their first five games of the season. They did not have a first-period goal in their first game of this season Tuesday night. But the early-season first-period drought came to an abrupt and powerful end tonight, as the Bolts were firing in the first.
It did not look too promising early on when newly acquired Johnny Gaudreau scored his first as a Blue Jacket to get Columbus on the board just over two minutes into the game. The Bolts got a couple of power plays early on and definitely were not clicking on the first one or the start of the second one. The Blue Jackets seemed to be getting more chances on the Lightning power plays than the Lightning! But that changed when Corey Perry tipped in his first of the season from Namestnikov and Sergachev about halfway through that secondcon power play.
Vladdy and Perry seem to have a connection don’t they #TBLvsCBJ
The goal that tied things at one, from the call of @DaveMishkin
🎧: @1025TheBone, STRIKE 102.5 HD-2 or Lightning Radio 24/7 on TuneIn pic.twitter.com/sUe2nP2OtN
— Lightning Radio (@BoltsRadio) October 14, 2022
A minute and a half later, the Bolts took their first lead of the season. The captain, Steven Stamkos, scored in his second straight game this season to make it 2-1 Lightning. It was a short-lived lead as Gustav Nyquist scored his first of the season 34 seconds later. But the Bolts kept on firing and really took over the game after that point. Ross Colton scored his first of the season from Perry and Hedman with just over a minute remaining in the first.
Second Period Killing
The scoring settled down in the second period after the 5-goal first. The only goal of the period came off the stick of Cal Foote as he wristed the puck past Daniil Tarasov. The highlight of the period for the Lightning came as the clock was winding down. With under two minutes remaining, Brandon Hagel was called for interference against Johnny Gaudreau. Twenty-four seconds later, Nick Paul was called for hooking against Justin Danforth. And the Lightning faced a five on three power play for a minute and 36 seconds. They held them to just 3 shots and no particularly dangerous chances. It was a dominant penalty kill and the Bolts went to the dressing room with a two-goal lead.
Captain Reigns and Leads Bolts Return to Winning
The Lightning started the third period by killing off the remaining 16 seconds of the 2-man Columbus advantage. The momentum was on their side and they really had the game under control from that point on. The captain continued his reign as the on-ice leader of the team as he scored his second of the night and third of the season at 7:57 of the period. That was the only scoring of the period and the game ended with a comfortable 5-2 win for the boys in blue.
It was a great night for Stamkos and also a very impressive night for the line of Colton, Namestnikov, and Perry. They combined for a total of 6 points, 2 for each player.
A silky snapshot by Ross Colton has the Bolts up heading into the 2nd period #TBLvsCBJ
As called by @DaveMishkin
🎧: @1025TheBone, STRIKE 102.5 HD-2 or Lightning Radio 24/7 on TuneIn pic.twitter.com/mU4bi8fc0v
— Lightning Radio (@BoltsRadio) October 15, 2022
It was an impressive win all around as the team appears to be getting back into form and adjusting to life on the road in October.
Three Stars
1- Steven Stamkos- 2 goals
2- Ross Colton- 1 goal and 1 assist
3- Corey Perry- 1 goal and 1 assist
Up Next
The Lightning continue on the road with a back-to-back and will face the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow (Saturday) night at 7:00pm.
