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Hedman Notches Three Assists as Lightning Squeak by Senators in a Shootout |
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A three assist performance from defenseman Victor Hedman was ultimately enough to snap the Tampa Bay Lightning’s five game winless streak on home ice. The Lightning took to the ice at the Forum on Thursday night and managed to squeak out a 4-3 shootout victory over the Ottawa Senators. The ‘W’ moves Tampa’s record to 30-16-5.
HockeyBuzz’s Senators blogger, Travis Yost, said it early on during the game. Tampa Bay is a scary team to deal with at five-on-five. For the first stretch of play, the Lightning dominated the Senators. The Bolts generated chances, maintained possession, and took all time and space away from their opponent. It’s amazing what a few days away from the game can do to rejuvenate a group; Tampa looked great.
That hard work was rewarded at the 14:32 mark of the first period when Tyler Johnson scored a shorthanded goal, his 13th tally of the year. Assisted by Victor Hedman, Johnson used his speed to skate into the Ottawa zone before roofing a perfect shot past Craig Anderson.
Before the thousands of faithful Lightning fans in attendance even had a chance to celebrate Johnson’s goal, Ottawa answered back. Just 40 seconds after ‘Player 9’ scored, Erik Karlsson scored his 12th of the season to knot things up at one. The goal, one of two Ottawa power play goals on the evening, was set up by Clarke MacArthur and Jason Spezza. Karlsson, who had a dominant possession night, was able to take advantage as Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop got caught out of position.
It’s interesting, and perhaps slightly concerning, to note that Tampa’s penalty killing has been dreadful all year. One of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, the Lightning have established themselves as a team to be feared at five-on-five. Still, for whatever reason, they haven’t been able to figure out the kill. With a 79.1% (!) efficiency rating, the Lightning’s PK ranks sixth worst in the entire National Hockey League. That simply isn’t good enough.
BJ Crombeen put the Lightning back on top just 3:30 into the second period when he tipped home a (you guessed it) Victor Hedman shot. Crombeen’s second of the season, which came after he fought Chris Neil in the first period, proved to be key for the Lightning as Ottawa started to pick up steam. Valtteri Filppula was credited with the second assist.
After dominating the possession battle early in the first period, the Lightning leveled off and began to sag in the second and third. I don’t know whether the Lightning were trying to nurse their 2-1 lead to the finish line with oodles of time remaining, or if perhaps the Senators just woke up and started to play. Regardless, following the Crombeen goal, the Senators controlled the puck a lot. This tweet from Bolt Prospects tells you everything you need to know.
Note that Tampa blocked 25 shots in the game. That’s a ridiculously high amount. Lots of people will probably look at that statistic as a positive, but I’ll take it in another direction. Just a few days ago, when asked about hits, Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said that the best game is one in which a team has no hits. Why? Because if a team isn’t hitting, its players always have the puck. I look at the whole ‘blocked shots’ statistic the same way. It’s great that the Bolts were able to stop Ottawa shots before they got to Ben Bishop, but I’d rather see Tampa control the puck and not allow shots in the first place.
As Ottawa picked up steam through the second period, you could just sense that a tying goal was on the horizon. It came at the 16:57 mark of the second, once again with the Senators on the power play, when Clarke MacArthur sent home his 18th of the year. Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan were awarded assists. The Lightning’s penalty killing woes deserve (read: need) more press. This is an issue, and it needs to be dealt with.
Ondrej Palat scored early in the third period, with Marty St. Louis and Hedman notching assists, to give the Lightning their 3-2 lead. From that moment, the magic of ‘score effects’ really took effect. It was all Ottawa, all the time as the third period moved along. Trying to protect a one goal lead with 10+ minutes left in a game isn’t always easy, and the Senators made Tampa pay. Chris Neil scored with about two minutes left in the game to force the extra frame.
Overtime solved nothing, and so a shootout was needed. Rookie sensation Nikita Kucherov was the only skater who managed to score in the skills competition, which sealed the deal on the Lightning’s first home ice win in eons.
By sitting back and allowing the Senators to dictate the pace of play in the latter stages of the second and again in the third, the Lightning effectively gave away a single point to a divisional opponent. Thankfully they were able to salvage the win and give Bolts Nation something to cheer about.
One final note before signing off.
This Victor Hedman guy. He’s pretty good. By adding three assists on Thursday, the big Swede set a new career high in points (29). Not enough can be said about how good he’s been for the Lightning over the last few years, and especially this year. Can we all agree that Team Sweden made a mistake by leaving him off the Olympic roster?
The Lightning will return to action on Saturday for a big game with the Colorado Avalanche. Like the Bolts, the Avs boast a bevy of young talent and speed. It should be an entertaining game.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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