On a night that was meant to be a celebration, the Tampa Bay Lightning played nothing like two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. The passing was off, players looked to be skating in quicksand and there was no urgency or energy. That resulted in an ugly 6-2 loss to a seriously undermanned Pittsburgh Penguins team.
Game Flow
The first period was a feeling-out process. Pittsburgh controlled much of the play, with a 14-7 shot advantage. A few of those were grade-A chances that might have gone in if not for 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy. He kept his team in the game for 20 minutes and was fairly good through two periods.
Unfortunately, his gaffe behind the net led to the game-opening goal 16 seconds into Period 2. Jeff Carter intercepted Vasilevskiy’s clearing attempt and found Danton Heinen who shot the puck into a wide-open net, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
Nearly three minutes later, a turnover at the blue line led to a rush the other way. Sam Lafferty found former Bolt Brian Boyle for a 2-0 lead.
After that, the two teams traded power plays. Both man-advantage units did nothing with their opportunities, so the Penguins entered the final period with a lead.
In the final period, the Lightning started out poorly, allowing Dominik Simon to score at the halfway point. That made it 3-0.
Jon Cooper then made the interesting decision to pull Vasilevskiy with five and a half minutes remaining in the game. It worked initially, as Anthony Cirelli tipped Victor Hedman’s shot past Tristan Jarry to cut the lead to 3-1.
That momentum was short-lived, however, as Teddy Blueger scored into the empty net to make it 4-1.
With Vasilevskiy pulled again for the extra attacker, Alex Killorn made it 4-2. The Penguins answered back though, with both Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust scoring empty net goals for a 6-2 final.
Game Notes
- The Lightning lost on Opening Night for the first time in seven years.
- Pittsburgh played without captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, both of whom are rehabbing injuries.
- Brian Boyle scored one day after signing a contract with the Penguins.
Up Next
After a dreadful performance to open the 2021-2022 season, the Lightning head out to Detroit and Washington D.C for a two-game road trip. First up is an Atlantic Division showdown with the up-and-coming Red Wings on Thursday night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM EST.