Physically, the Tampa Bay Lightning showed up for their Tuesday game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And that is quite literally about all you can say about the Lightning when it comes to their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Jonathan Bernier and the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. And as bad as the Leafs have been, that was not nearly enough for a Bolts group that’s now dropped four of their last five.
The Leafs came through with the game’s first goal 13:34 into the second period behind defenseman Connor Carrick’s first goal in a Toronto uniform (and his second NHL strike overall). Although an ugly tally, at least in perspective of everything surrounding the play, the goal was a fortunate one for Carrick, as he settled a bouncing puck, just beat a sliding Brian Boyle (that’s one tall frame to beat), and tucked it under Lightning goalie (and noted Toronto beater) Andrei Vasilevskiy.
It was the 5-foot-10 defender’s first goal since Oct. 3, ‘13, and held as the only goal through two.
With 11 shots on net through two periods of play, the Lightning finally broke through and knotted things up with Boyle’s 11th goal of the year, scored 6:33 into the third period.
The goal, assisted by Anton Stralman, was good for Boyle’s second in the last three games.
But not even three minutes later, a breakdown put the puck on Ben Smith’s stick for his first goal of the season, and a Toronto just 2:34 after Boyle’s game-tying marker. It was simply too easy for the Leafs to break through the middle of the neutral zone to begin the rush on into the Tampa zone, and Steven Stamkos was nowhere to be found when it came to picking up the third man on the goal.
Smith’s goal would hold as the game-winner, too, as the Leafs added two empty-net strikes, one from Zach Hyman (third of the year), and the other from P.A. Parenteau (his 17th), en route to the win.
Tampa Bay’s power play sputtered yet again, and finished the night 0-for-3 on the man advantage.
Vasilevskiy stopped 20-of-22 in the loss while the Leafs’ Bernier finished the night with 26 saves.
Random thoughts and notes
- Oy. Vey. This was gross. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper really threw the hammer down on his guys, too. He talked about the disappointing effort, and mentioned that one team (his team) thought they could just show up and win. He wasn’t wrong, either. Consider this a prime example of playing down to your opponent, which is something the Bolts have rarely done this season. Lately, anyways.
- Healthy! One game after getting suckerpunched by Columbus defenseman Dalton Prout, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov put forth a solid effort in the loss and showed no ill signs of the blow. It’s been an ugly week or so for Kucherov, who was rocked by an elbow from Boston d-man John-Michael Liles just two games prior to the Prout incident. Kucherov, Tampa’s most consistent offensive threat this season, finished the night with three shots in 17:17 of time on ice.
- Unhealthy! The Bolts were without two-way threats Valtteri Filppula and Cedric Paquette for this one, which by all means forced Cooper to roll with the 11-forward, 7-defenseman lineup. And while Paquette’s issue seems minor, Cooper noted that the club could be without Filppula for the rest of the road trip, an obvious blow to a Lightning third line that’s really saved them at times.
Up next
The Lightning will head to Dallas for a date with the Stars. Although they remain a powerhouse in the Western Conference, and still lead the ultra-competitive Central Division, the Stars have hit a rough patch of late, with just three victories in their last 10 games played. Tampa Bay lost to the Stars by a 5-3 final in their only other meeting this season, back at Amalie Arena on Oct. 15.