After back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, it feels a little bit odd to call game two of the next regular season -- against the lowly Detroit Red Wings, no less -- a game for the ages. But that’s what fans were treated to last night, as the Bolts claimed a 7-6 overtime victory over their divisional rivals. Here are last night’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: No Quit
Down 6-3 with only a handful of minutes left on the clock, things were looking fairly bleak for the team from Tampa. Then, the Lightning skaters stepped up. First it was Ross Colton. Then it was Nikita Kucherov. Then it was Alex Killorn. Three goals in the last 6:17 of regulation knotted things at six, sending the game to overtime.

In that overtime period, the Red Wings basically didn’t touch the puck. It was a clinic in offensive prowess from the Tampa Bay Lightning, which culminated with Ondrej Palat’s game winner. What looked like a sure second-straight loss to open the season turned into one of the more impressive comeback victories you’ll ever see in hockey. Literally:

The @TBLightning were trailing by 3 goals until Ross Colton scored with 6:17 remaining to start the comeback.

No other team in NHL regular-season history has trailed by 3+ goals that late in the 3rd period on the road and come back to win the game.

— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) October 15, 2021

I’m glad I didn’t turn my television off.

Thumbs Down: Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Play
It was another less-than-stellar outing for Andrei Vasilevskiy. Despite the Bolts outshooting, out-chancing, and out-expected-goaling the Wings throughout the evening, Vasilevskiy gave Detroit a lot of life. He’s opened the season with an .845 save percentage and 4.50 goals-against-average, numbers that are hardly Vasilevskiy-like. He’s built up enough currency through the last two postseason runs to earn a pass, but it hasn’t been all that much fun to watch.

Thumbs Up: The Big Names
The story of how the Lightning came back in this hockey game was largely written by the big names. Nikita Kucherov tallied four points; Steven Stamkos notched three himself. Then there was Ondrej Palat with two goals of his own. And Victor Hedman’s four assists. Simply put, the team’s leadership group decided that it wasn’t going to be an 0-2-0 start to the season.

Thumbs Up: The Top Line, in Particular
Of all the big names for the Lightning last night, no trio was more effective than the top line. The Red Wings generated nothing when the Point line was on the ice, and the Lightning generated a lot. It was a masterclass performance from one of the best lines in the National Hockey League.

Thumbs Up: The Return of Andrej Sustr
I didn’t think he was all that effective in his limited minutes, but it was nevertheless great to see Andrej Sustr back on NHL ice. Congrats to him on his return.

Thumbs Down: Sucker Punches
Dylan Larkin took an awkward (more than violent) hit from Mathieu Joseph midway through the second period, and really didn’t like it. His response was ridiculous:

Dylan Larkin ejected (match penalty). Mathieu Joseph and Jan Rutta get two mins each for roughing. #LGRW #Gobolts pic.twitter.com/y8Yfye8xBb

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 15, 2021

The Department of Player Safety clear saw things the same way, as they suspended Larkin for a single game today. There’s no place in the sport for stuff like that.

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The Lightning will take to the ice against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

As always, thanks for reading.

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