In a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s hottest teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves chasing from the outset in an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Game Recap
From the drop of the puck, the Penguins had more jump than the Bolts. They controlled the puck with ease, put on a clinic in passing and gave the Lightning no time and space.
That type of work ethic paid off early, with Danton Heinen pouncing on a rebound and beating Andrei Vasilevskiy less than four minutes in.
Nearly two minutes later, Erik Cernak was sent to the box for tripping Evan Rodrigues.
After Vasilevskiy made the initial save on Jake Guentzel, the puck popped loose and found Sidney Crosby. The Penguins captain didn’t miss, making it 2-0 before seven minutes had been played.
Staring at another two goal deficit, the Lightning finally decided to try a little. They got a few grade A chances but Tristan Jarry made the saves. They also got a late spark, as Brayden Point dropped the gloves with Kris Letang. Both players received five minutes for fighting, but earned the respect of their teammates.
Period 2
Entering the middle frame, the Lightning wanted to play with more emotion and take it to the Penguins.
They started well, with each line trying to get extended zone time. It paid off when Pat Maroon found Pierre Edouard-Bellemare. The gritty third line center got Jarry to open his legs a bit and slid the puck between them to cut the Penguins lead in half at 2-1.
Unfortunately, a defensive lapse late proved costly, as Rodrigues sprang Brock McGinn on a breakaway. He made no mistake, firing the puck over Vasilevskiy’s shoulder to restore the Penguins two goal lead.
At that point, the Lightning were desperate. They had a flurry of chances around Jarry and couldn’t get any to go in. It didn’t help that Mark Friedman took out Corey Perry as he was going for a rebound and then repeatedly punched him while laying on top of him.
Clearly frustrated, the Bolts decided they weren’t going to take anymore. Players from both teams squared off, imposing their will on one another. When the penalties were handed out, Perry was given an extra two for roughing.
Hours later, I still can’t figure that out. Friedman was on top of a defenseless player (Perry), but the Penguins get a power play out of it. I’m sorry but that’s messed up if you ask me.
Then to add insult to injury, the referees went to the Penguins bench with an explanation of the penalties but didn’t extend the Lightning the same courtesy, according to coach Jon Cooper. Cooper had some choice words for referee Wes McCauley and got a penalty for abuse of an official, resulting in a 5-on-3 for Pittsburgh. That prompted more anger and a few expletives from Cooper, leading to him being ejected from the game.
While I don’t condone abusing officials, I have a hard time seeing how words can lead to a coaches ejection, especially in hockey where players and coaches get heated and yell at referees more often than not. From the video, all I can hear is a few curse words and that his team will go to the box all night if they need to. Considering the refs hadn’t called a penalty on the Penguins all game, he was likely trying to make a point. A valid point if you ask many around the league, as Pittsburgh is somehow the least penalized team in the NHL.
Period 3
Going into the final frame, the Lightning had to dig deep and hope for the best.
Things didn’t begin well, with both Cirelli and Dominik Simon given misconducts four and a half minutes in.
Less than a minute later, Malkin found himself with a step on the Lightning defenders. He continued his hot streak, firing the puck past Vasilevskiy to make it 4-1.
With 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Penguins finally got called for their first penalty. Guentzel was sent to the box for hooking Cernak and the Bolts found themselves on a power play. They wasted the opportunity though, another downer in a night full of them.
The final dagger came with six minutes remaining in regulation and Vasilevskiy pulled for the extra attacker. Guentzel took a pass from Letang and fired the puck into the open net for a 5-1 lead and final.
Game Notes
- The Lightning suffered their fifth loss on home ice all season. Two of those have come at the hands of the Penguins.
- The Lightning suffered their first regulation loss at Amalie Arena in nearly two months.
- Jon Cooper was ejected from a game for the first in his coaching career.
- With the Florida Panthers win over Ottawa, the Lightning relinquished first place in the Atlantic Division. Only one point separates the two rivals though, making for a fun final two months of the regular season.
Next Up
After a tough game, the Lightning have to forget everything that happened Thursday night and be ready for a much improved Detroit Red Wings team tonight. Puck drop is set for 7pm EST.