A superstar-like performance from Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Justin Peters wasn’t enough to stop the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, as they walked out of the Tampa Bay Times Forum with a 3-2 overtime victory. Dominant from start to finish, the Bolts generated more than their fair share of opportunities and finally solved the opposing goaltender in time to secure the two points. The win moves Tampa’s record to 22-11-3, good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference.
On a night that saw them generate 50 shots and an incredible amount of chances, as evidenced by the shot attempt (fenwick) chart , the Lightning simply left everything out on the ice. Had it not been for Peters’ heroics, the game could have been over in the first period. For the home team, it was a textbook performance and one that left the crowd more than happy. The road team, on the other hand, should be thanking its lucky stars (read: Justin Peters) for the acquired single point.
While Tampa was in control of the game from start to finish, it was Carolina that opened the scoring. Just 4:35 into the first period, Jiri Tlusty wristed the puck past a very screened Ben Bishop to give his team the 1-0 lead. Unwilling to roll over and die, the Lightning battled back quickly. Before the first period buzzer rang, Victor Hedman tied things up with his seventh of the season; Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn were credited with assists.
Taking a step back from the game, it’s worth mentioning just how good Hedman has been since rejoining the team earlier this week. In this blogger’s opinion, the Lightning’s number-77 is one of the most underrated defenders in the entire National Hockey League. With two points tallied on Saturday, he now has 18 points in 30 games played. Coupled with his solid defensive play, that sort of offensive production should make him a leading candidate to make Team Sweden in Sochi.
Unable to step on the Hurricanes’ collective jugular, the Lightning surrendered the third goal of the game at the 10:11 mark of the second period to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. Sent in on a shorthanded breakaway thanks to some poor Lightning coverage, Tlusty (again) made no mistake as he fired the puck past Bishop.
From that point on, however, it was all Lightning. Marty St. Louis tied the game early in the third period when he tipped home a well-placed Victor Hedman point shot. Marty’s 15th of the season, which puts him on pace for 34+, was also assisted by Valtteri Filppula. As he’s done so many times in a Bolts jersey, the Captain stepped up and scored a big goal at a key time. Marty is indisputably one of the league’s greatest leaders both on and off the ice; it would be a mistake to leave him off Team Canada’s Olympic roster.
Both Peters and Bishop shut the door from that point until the end of regulation, and so an overtime period was needed. Just over two minutes into the extra frame, Radko Gudas crafted a sequence for the ages. After starting the play with a huge hit in the defensive zone, Gudas grabbed the puck and skated in on a two-on-one with Nate Thompson. Rather than pass, the ‘Czeching Ball’ fired home a howitzer to win the game for the Lightning.
Saturday’s 3-2 victory was a big one for the Lightning in so many ways. Slowly but surely, the team is starting to figure out life without Steven Stamkos. In their last ten games, the Bolts have compiled a record of 6-2-2; that is more than respectable. If this trend continues, Tampa fans could very well see Spring hockey for the first time since 2011.
As always, thanks for reading.