All good things must come to an end...
That is exactly what happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night as they fell to the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-1, seeing their winning and point streak come to an end.
Not only was the team point streak of nine games halted, the Bolts also saw the individual streaks of Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov come to an end. Both players had recorded at least one point in all of their first 11 contests. Although they were held in check Saturday night, the two players have a combined 40 points for the Lightning to start the season.
Both Tampa Bay and Anaheim were held scoreless in the first period of last night's game. However, the teams made up for that in period number two combining for four goals, three of them in the Ducks favor.
Anaheim recorded the first two goals of the game, one from Rickard Rakell and one from Brandon Montour. The Bolts would cut the lead in half with a goal from Chris Kunitz but that would be all she wrote for the Lightning. Hampus Lindholm would hook the Ducks up with one more goal to give Anaheim a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
A two-goal deficit is not an insurmountable one but Tampa Bay failed to get any more goal support. Then, midway through the third, Rakell and the Ducks put the game essentially out of reach with his second goal of the contest.
Tampa Bay and goaltender Peter Budaj would give up only their second regulation loss of the season and are now 9-2-1 on the year. For Budaj, it was his second loss in two starts for the Lightning this season.
The will get Sunday off and then take on the Florida Panthers on Monday Night at the BB&T Center.