Lightning Excel in 6-3 Win Over Chicago

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Sunday night. The Lightning reclaim first in the Atlantic Division, passing the cross-state rival Florida Panthers. On the other hand, Chicago continues a tough season sitting 18 points out of the playoffs.

Game Recap

The first period opened five minutes in, with another classic Vasilevskiy save. Corey Perry turned the puck over on the breakout and Brandon Hagel collected the puck. Hagel passed the puck back door to Dach for a one-timer. The Big Cat got his stick in the way to stop a sure goal. Despite making a great save, roughly two minutes later, Chicago took the lead. Dylan Strome ripped a slap shot from “Ovi’s Office” for the opener. The first period ended 1-0 in favor of Chicago.

The second period quickly began with a Taylor Raddysh, Tampa Bay goal. Patrick Kane did not let the tie settle for long as he regained the lead for Chicago five minutes later. McDonagh and Sergachev each received penalties later, but both penalties were killed off by the Bolts. Alex DeBrincat was then called for tripping, giving the Lightning a power play. Despite not being able to score on the man advantage, six seconds after its expiration, Victor Hedman scored to tie the game at two apiece. To end the period, Cal Foote scored his first goal of the season to give Tampa a 3-2 lead.

1:51 into the third frame, Victor Hedman scored his second goal of the game. 13 seconds later, Corey Perry added another. 19 seconds following Perry’s goal, Mikhail Sergachev scored another. To open the third period, Tampa Bay quickly went from a one goal lead to being up 6-2. This was also the fastest three goals in franchise history, with three in 32 seconds. The previous record was 42 seconds, which was set in 2008.

Five minutes after, Alex DeBrincat scored for Chicago, narrowing the Lightning lead to three. With 9:24 remaining, Vasilevskiy robbed Chicago once again; a back door glove save on Patrick Kane. A couple more penalties were taken to end the game, but Tampa Bay finished on top 6-3.

FL Teams Star of the Game

You could give the award to Victor Hedman who had two goals, including the game winner. Or, you could give this award to Mikhail Sergachev who had three points, including two goals in a span of 32 seconds. However, despite having a .889 save percentage on the night, Vasilevskiy deserves it. If there was a Puskas for NHL saves, Vasilevskiy would have two finalists in one night. If the Big Cat did not make those two ridiculous saves, this game would have been much different.

Up Next

On Tuesday, the Lightning will work there way into Canada for a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.