Getting wins and points out of California these days is a challenge. With their win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning managed to take two of three in ‘The Golden State’.
Looking to rebound after a disappointing performance in Los Angeles, the Bolts took to the ice at the Honda Center and played a picture perfect road game. Led by some strong play from a number of skaters and a solid performance from Ben Bishop, Tampa was able to beat the Ducks by a 4-1 score. It was an inspiring win over a team that could be a contender this spring.
While the Lightning did eventually secure the victory, it was the Ducks who got on the board first. Just 4:17 into the opening period, Patrick Maroon scored his seventh of the season to give Anaheim the 1-0 lead. Things weren’t looking too good at that point, as the Ducks have proven to be nearly unbeatable this year once they have a lead.
Somehow, Tampa Bay found a way.
They found a way by using their speed to create opportunities. That’s how this Lightning group has found success against many teams this season, specifically a number of teams in the Western Conference. It worked against the Ducks. The second period was all Lightning – ‘all’ might even be an understatement. Anaheim was outshot by a margin of 20-5 and outscored by a margin of 4-0. The Bolts looked like a cup contender.
The scoring party got started at 4:31 of that middle frame when Anton Stralman scored his fourth of the year with help from Brian Boyle and Jonathan Drouin. It continued with Tyler Johnson’s 22nd of the season just over a minute later; assists on the play were credited to Ondrej Palat and Jason Garrison. That made it a 2-1 game.
Rather than sit back with the one-goal lead, Tampa kept pushing. They were rewarded late in the second when Nikita Kucherov scored his 22nd of the season at 18:05 – I’m not sure how Kucherov got credit for the goal, as it looked like Tyler Johnson and/or Ondrej Palat got a piece of the puck before it made its way across the goal line. Either way, it counted just the same.
They weren’t done there.
Steven Stamkos scored the backbreaker with only 21 seconds left on the clock in the second stanza to make it a 4-1 lead. Stamkos’s 31st of the season was assisted by Alex Killorn and Stralman. The Ducks had no answer.
Down three with only a period to play, Anaheim was in a tough spot. While they did battle back on the shot clock, Ben Bishop was there to stop them at every opportunity. He made 13 saves in the third period to maintain his team’s three-goal advantage. The final buzzer rang, and the Bolts walked off the ice at Honda Center with a 4-1 win and two points in their back pocket.
In closing, if you told an average hockey fan that his/her team would get two wins in three games on the California swing, he/she would probably be quite happy. Just the same, the Lightning should be thrilled. A weak performance in Los Angeles was sandwiched by nice victories over San Jose and Anaheim. It wasn’t a perfect jaunt through California, but it certainly leaves a lot to build on moving forward. They'll get a chance to build on it when they take on the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.