If there’s one thing to take away from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2013 season, it’s that this team doesn’t have any issues when it comes to offense. Battling back time and time again on Saturday night, the Lightning managed to push the Washington Capitals to overtime before eventually heading out of the Verizon Center with a 6-5 loss. It wasn’t pretty, but it was certainly entertaining.

The first period of Saturday’s contest was far from perfect for the Lightning; in fact, it was downright abysmal. While this might sound silly to those who didn’t watch the game, had it not been for Ben Bishop’s early heroics, the 3-0 deficit after one period could have easily been double that. The Bolts were outworked, outclassed, and they spent too much time in the box against one of the league’s top offensive groups. A porous defensive structure and chronic giveaways absolutely haunted the Lightning early on. For the Capitals, it must have been like Christmas morning. Opportunities were gifted to them at will, and Troy Brouwer (16), Jack Hillen (2), and Alex Ovechkin (27) managed to convert.

Bishop was hooked after one period, and unfortunately things didn’t get any better for the Lightning. Just under three minutes into the second frame, Jason Chimera beat Mathieu Garon to extend the Capitals’ lead to four. At that point, it was incredibly difficult to envision any sort of a Lightning comeback. Of course, as the guys have done so many times this season, the Lightning proved that they’ve got heart and a whole lot of fight left in the tank.

Richard Panik and Martin St. Louis scored second period goals, sandwiching the Capitals’ fifth tally from Eric Fehr, to bring the Lightning back to within striking distance. After a disastrous first period, the Bolts managed to put the Caps back on their heels. Firing 21 shots on net in the middle frame, the Lightning did to the Capitals what the Capitals did to the Lightning in the first. At 5-2 after two, a glimmer of light was shining through what was once complete darkness.

As the game moved into the third period, it was all Lightning. Panik and St. Louis both scored again and Teddy Purcell tied the game with only minutes remaining. The Capitals, who held two four goal leads in the game, squandered away everything they had worked so hard to build in the first period. The Lightning, on the other hand, refused to give up. Despite the less than inspiring first, the team bonded and played with that swagger Jon Cooper has spoken about. Even down by four goals, the team never lost hope. That’s Jon Cooper hockey for you.

Unfortunately, the comeback was squashed in the overtime period as Mike Green fired home his 10th of the season with Vincent Lecavalier in the penalty box for slashing. His goal sealed the deal and gave the Capitals two very key points in the Southeast Division race. With only a handful of games remaining and newfound breathing room at the top, it's hard to envision the Capitals not making the post-season.

To be blunt – it wasn’t a great game for either team, but it sure was great for the fans. There was offense, there was excitement, and the superstars were on full display. Given the Lightning’s position in the standings, it’s hard to ask for much more right now.

With the Bolts scheduled to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night, Cooper is now tasked with ensuring that his players start that game the way they finished the Capitals game. Standing around, reaching, and failing to do the little things is never going to get it done at the NHL level. Hopefully the team has some jump when it hits the ice on Sunday night. The Sabres, while also out of the playoff race, have a lot of guys who know how to put the puck in the net. Given what happened on Saturday, it would behoove the Lightning to shore things up on the defensive side of the puck.

As always, thanks for reading.

* It should be noted that Nate Thompson, who took a Mike Green slapshot to the head, will be re-evaluated and there should be an update from the team in the afternoon. Here’s hoping for the best.

Join the Discussion: » 17 Comments » Post New Comment

» Brown, Paul Combine for Canada's Golden Goal at World Championship

» Senators to Select 10th Overall; What Should They Do with the Pick?

» Finding the Right Centerpiece

» Senators Team Awards Ballot

» Melnyk Speaks