Wednesday night’s Tampa Bay Lightning game was a promising one. The Bolts collected an impressive 1-0 win in Colorado, one that took a well-rounded effort and contributions from every man. Heading into tonight’s contest with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Lightning hoped to build off that momentum and continue a road trip in which they were 2-0-1.
After a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in June, the Vegas Golden Knights have had a rude awakening. They entered tonight’s contest 4-4-1. To keep up the pace on the road, the Lightning hoped for a strong start.
Here’s Johnny
It took all of 3:05 for the Bolts to open the scoring in this one. They proved why shooting the puck is always the best play in hockey, as a ricochet off Brayden McNabb landed on the stick of Tyler Johnson in tight, who buried it to give the Lightning an early lead.
Quick Response
Heading into the game, one might have suspected two high-powered offensive units to provide a high-scoring affair. Early on, it looked as though that might be the case. A Shea Theodore blast from the point was a seeing-eye shot and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. After just five-and-a-half minutes of action, it was already one apiece.
Killer Instinct
The Lightning’s Achilles heel last season has proved to be a strength thus far this season. Their penalty kill was strong in the first period, going 2-for-2 with the game tied. A Vegas go-ahead goal would’ve been a huge momentum swing, so the back-to-back kills were crucial for the Bolts.
Pointer
With three minutes to play in the opening frame, Brayden Point finished off a slick pass from captain Steven Stamkos to give the Lightning a lead heading to the locker room. This was a massive goal for the Bolts, who escaped a period in which they killed two penalties and were outshot 12-6 with a 2-1 lead.
Quality, not Quantity
After watching Vegas fail on two chances with the man advantage, the Lightning finally got their first opportunity of the game early in the second period. They made no mistake. The power play was simply stunning. They hemmed the Knights into their zone, and following a clinic of puck movement, finally broke through. A J.T. Miller deflection in front beat Marc-Andre Fleury to put the Bolts up 3-1 at the 4:47 mark of the second period.
The Knights challenged for an offside before the eventual Mikhail Sergachev blast leading to Miller’s tally, but the goal stood upon further review. Vegas was dealt a bench minor for delay of game as a result of a missed challenge, but the Bolts were unable to break through on the ensuing power play, their second chance of the contest. They finished the game 1-for-2 while a man up.
Hedman Injured
It was at this point in the second period that Victor Hedman was twirled awkwardly head-first into the boards by Ryan Reaves. He would leave the game and did not return. The Lightning will be hoping for the best. Needless to say, last year’s Norris Trophy winner is a big part of the team’s defensive corps.
There was no penalty on the play. The Lightning were forced to play the rest of the evening shorthanded defensively, with just five men suited up on the back end.
Breathing Room Lessens
Early in the third, a Dan Girardi trip sent the Knights to the power play. An inauspicious start to the third, as the Bolts had already given a dangerous Knights unit two looks, and I’m sure Lightning head coach Jon Cooper stressed staying out of the box early in the third.
If so, he might have been on to something, as a power play marker from William Karlsson pushed the Lightning lead to just one goal less than two minutes into the third.
Stepping Up
In the absence of Hedman, the Bolts would need contributions from each and every d-man down the stretch. With Girardi penalized, Mikhail Sergachev even saw some ever-rare penalty kill minutes.
The best Lightning player tonight, however, was defenseman Ryan McDonagh. He was simply phenomenal on the back end. He broke up countless chances in a workhorse twenty-seven minute night. Late in the game, he made a goal-saving breakup right in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy following a Miller turnover.
Though the Lightning are crossing their fingers in the Hedman injury news front, it’s good to know they might have another Norris contender on their blue line wearing #27.
Saved by the Bell
Time couldn’t expire soon enough for the Lightning, whose handicapped five-man defensive corps felt all of Vegas’ forecheck in the waning moments. They came back to outshoot the Bolts 31-23 in the contest. Business as usual for Vasilevskiy. The Lightning netminder picked up 29 saves in this 3-2 road win over the Golden Knights.
The Bolts will finish off the back-to-back at 9 PM tomorrow in Arizona.
Three Stars of the Game
- Ryan McDonagh- As mentioned, McDonagh was fabulous for the Lightning in the absence of Hedman. Though he might not show up on the scoresheet, he was all over the ice in a whopping 27 minutes of ice time.
- Mikhail Sergachev- The Miller goal was all Sergachev, as he was able to slither in from the blue line and fire a puck that Miller would deflect home. He logged extra minutes in all categories tonight and looked good doing so.
- Andrei Vasileyskiy- It was another day at the office for the Russian. Vasilevskiy quietly had a very productive night, collecting 29 saves and another W.
