Coming off of a blown lead and game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning were clearly frustrated. They took that anger out on their cross-state rivals, the Florida Panthers, in a hotly contested 3-2 overtime win Saturday night.
Game Flow
Period 1
Both teams came out ready to play. They traded chances, with the Cats getting physical against the Bolts. Jan Rutta and Ryan Lomberg each got penalized for roughing, leading to 4-on-4 hockey.
With the open ice, the defenses and goaltenders had to stay alert and come up big to keep the game scoreless.
Midway through the opening frame, MacKenzie Weegar was sent to the box for interfering with Anthony Cirelli. That gave the Lightning a power play.
For a team looking for any sign of progress on the man advantage, the goal by Pat Maroon was a welcome sight. It gave them a 1-0 lead and, perhaps just as important, gave those guys a little confidence moving forward.
Victor Hedman was called for tripping Carter Verhaeghe late in the period, but Tampa Bay killed that off to take a one goal lead into the locker room after 20 minutes.
Period 2
With a slim lead, the Lightning entered the middle frame wanting to play solid hockey and extend their lead. They accomplished that in the first 10 minutes of the period, as Brayden Point had enough of being pushed around and fought Patric Hornqvist. Both players received five minute majors.
Early on, that looked to favor the Bolts. A perfect pass from rookie Boris Katchouk found Hedman staring at a wide open side of the net. The former Norris Trophy winner didn’t miss, extending the lead to 2-0.
Unfortunately, that’s where things went south. A collision between teammates left Jonathan Huberdeau alone in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy. He didn’t miss, cutting the lead in half at 2-1.
Less than a minute later, Eetu Luostarinen tipped Aaron Ekblad’s shot past Vasilevskiy to knot the game at two apiece.
As the period was winding down, Alex Killorn and Weegar found themselves in the box. That 4-on-4 resulted in opportunities at both ends of the ice but no scoring.
Period 3
Heading into the third period, the Lightning wanted to play smart hockey and limit the Panthers chances. They did the first, taking no penalties, but struggled with the latter. Florida outshot Tampa Bay with a number of grade-A chances. Vasilevskiy shut the door though, preserving at least one point for the home team.
Overtime
Knowing what had happened the last time a lead was blown, the Lightning were going to make sure they didn’t let the same thing happen twice in a week.
Hedman got the first breakaway, but was stopped by the skate of Sergei Bobrovsky. Then, a rush the other way gave Ekblad a glorious chance. Vasilevskiy had the save of the game, setting up the game winner.
Point took a pass from Ondrej Palat, got behind the defense and buried the puck to make it 3-2 Bolts.
Game Notes
- The Lightning have points in seven straight (5-0-2) after a poor start to the season.
- Rookie Boris Katchouk registered his first NHL point on the Hedman goal.
- After starting the season 10-0-1, the Panthers have lost four straight (0-2-2). Yet, the Panthers still have the most points in the NHL.
- The Bolts won the special teams battle in this game, scoring a power play goal of their own while killing the Panthers opportunities.
Up Next
With a big win under their belt against a top team, the Lightning will look to keep the mojo going when they host the stingy New York Islanders on Monday night, November 15. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.
The Panthers will also play the Islanders. Puck drop is on Tuesday night, November 16.