On a night that started horribly, the Tampa Bay Lightning put up their worst performance of the season. The 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers tied for the most lopsided loss this season score-wise, but it was worse on the ice. One team felt good, while the other went through the motions.
Game Flow
Minus captain Steven Stamkos, who missed this game with a lower body injury, the Lightning looked nothing like the team that had won six straight coming in. They were slow and didn’t push the pace, allowing the Panthers to control possession among other things. It bit them nearly nine minutes in, with extended zone time leading to Frank Vatrano’s goal that opened the scoring. A late period fight between Ryan Lomberg and Barclay Goodrow looked to energize the Bolts, but that was short-lived.
The middle frame saw much of the same early, as the Panthers attack continued to give the Lightning fits. After continuously saving his teammates from disaster, Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up a goal to Alexander Wennberg 8:31 in, with Jonathan Huberdeau getting the primary assist. Huberdeau leads the Panthers in assists (11) and points (15).
After that, there was a parade to the penalty box. The Panthers started things off with a bench minor for too many men. That got the Lightning on the scoreboard, with an uncovered Brayden Point beating Sergei Bobrovsky. Mikhail Sergachev halted any momentum though, as his penalty for interference gave the Cats their two goal lead back on an Aaron Ekblad bomb from the left point.
With momentum favoring the Panthers, former Bolt Carter Verhaeghe got a good bounce when his pass hit defenseman Erik Cernak and landed in the net. That made it 4-1 and the Lightning were desperate to stop the bleeding.
Penalties capped off the second period, with the Bolts taking their own too many men bench minor. The penalty kill came perilously close to scoring, but a hook by Keith Yandle held up Blake Coleman. That ended the Panthers power play and set up 4-on-4 hockey. Another penalty by the Cats set up a 4-on-3 for 10 seconds, followed by a lengthy 5-on-4 man advantage.
Entering the final frame, the Lightning knew they had a mountain to climb. They came out ready, using the minute of power play time to chip away at the Panthers lead. Victor Hedman found Point with a step on the defenseman and the crafty forward did the rest, faking a move before firing the puck top shelf past Bobrovsky. That made it 4-2, with the Bolts refusing to go quietly. They controlled play and refused to be buried by a team they had owned the past couple of years.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. An injury to Anthony Cirelli late, hurt their chances of a comeback, and Brett Connolly’s empty netter made it 5-2.
Stats
The Bolts had allowed just four goals over their previous four games combined before the Panthers put up five on them. Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up four goals on 28 shots, receiving his 2nd loss of the season. For Sergei Bobrovksy, he still has yet to record a loss in regulation. Bobrovsky stopped 19 of 21 shots, now with a 5-0-1 record on the season, marking a career-best record through his first six appearances of a season. After a disappointing maiden campaign in the Sunshine State, Bobrovsky’s starting to play up to his massive contract.
Next Up
The Lightning will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, February 13, at 7:00 PM against Florida.