Just when everybody thought the Tampa Bay Lightning were down and out, they produced one of their best performances so far this season and took down the Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-1 margin. Alive for another day, the Lightning were bolstered by the strength of so many great young players who will one day make up the team’s core. It was an inspired effort, a hard-fought effort, and a sixty minute effort that ultimately added up to two huge points in the standings and a much needed confidence boost.

In just his second National Hockey League game, Tyler Johnson opened the scoring for the Lightning with his first career goal. Setup beautifully by some hard work from Alex Killorn and Cory Conacher, Johnson fired a big league wrist shot that beat Justin Peters to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Conacher, who leads all rookies in points scoring, and Killorn did some great work along the boards and showed Tampa Bay Lightning fans that there is a whole lot to look forward to when it comes to the future of this team. Inspiring is about the only word that can be used to describe it.

It was a night of firsts for the Lightning, as in the second period Ondrej Palat was credited with his first NHL goal. Like Johnson, Palat has been a star for the Syracuse Crunch at times this season and he has fit in beautifully with the Lightning’s bottom six. Sami Salo wired a slapshot from the point that deflected off Palat’s skate and into the net to give the Bolts a pivotal two goal lead. Salo’s ninth assist of the season highlighted what he brings to this team. On many occasions this season, he has created chances and goals simply by getting his shot through from the point. Tyler Johnson was credited with the second assist, giving him two points on the night.

Later in the second period, B.J. Crombeen found Nate Thompson with a beautiful pass and sent him in alone on a breakaway. From there, Thompson made no mistake to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead. With Vincent Lecavalier injured, Thompson is going to be counted on to play bigger minutes and a bigger role. So far, he is showing that he is more than capable of doing so. He’s winning faceoffs on a consistent basis and he has scored six points in his last seven games. It’s hard to ask for much more from a bottom six presence.

Teddy Purcell’s fifth of the season would cap the Lightning’s scoring parade at four early in the third period. On another Lightning breakaway, Purcell put a backhander past Peters to give the Lightning a 4-0 lead. For Purcell, it was his first goal in exactly a month. If the Lightning are to make an unlikely push for the playoffs, they are going to need more goals out of Purcell; it was good to see him get off the schneid, so to speak.

Eric Staal would later snap Mathieu Garon’s shutout bid as he too was sent in alone after a truly phenomenal pass from Alex Semin. Semin wired a tape-to-tape pass from the Lightning zone all the way up ice and Staal found the back of the net with a little wrist shot. Night in and night out, few players are as dominant as Eric Staal. He truly is one of the greats in the league today, and a real treat to watch.

That was all she wrote, and the Lightning cruised to the final buzzer and a much needed 4-1 victory. Now six points out of eighth place and seven points out of the division lead, there is a glimmer of light in Bolts Nation. It’s little, but it’s there. Enjoy that winning feeling while it lasts, Bolts Nation. Who knows how much longer this sense of hope might last. As always, thanks for reading.

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