A flip was switched Wednesday night for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were coming off a 5-0 blowout loss in game one. The team looked a lot better as they were able to produce more offense, play more focused, and all-around looked more awake out there on the ice.
Lightning fans saw a big night from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who really helped the Bolts grab the 5-3 win. Despite giving up two goals in the third period, he halted the explosive Toronto attack all night with a .912 save percentage, making 31 saves on 34 shots attempted. This also continued Vasilevskiy’s streak of 15 straight wins after a loss in the playoffs. It is so beneficial for Tampa Bay to know that they have a goaltender in net who still does not have two bad nights in a row during the postseason.
The scoring got kicked off when Victor Hedman scored with 1.4 seconds left in the first period. The puck got loose in front of the Toronto net and Hedman got goaltender Jack Campbell to bite a little early on a fake shot; Hedman took advantage by putting the puck in to beat the buzzer.
Heading into the second period with a 1-0 lead, the Lightning decided to keep the pressure on. Early in the period, Hedman made his presence felt again delivering a beautiful pass up the ice to Corey Perry, who beat one on one at the net to make the score 2-0 Tampa Bay. Hedman would finish the game with a goal and three assists, boasting the best stat line of the night. The Lightning will want to get that kind of production out of their veteran back-to-back Stanley Cup winner.
Following a goal by Michael Bunting to make the score 2-1, the Bolts once again responded. This time, it was from Nikita Kucherov who fired a rocket of a wrist shot to extend the lead to 3-1. Kucherov is the catalyst for this Tampa Bay team and along with dishing out two assists, he showed that he can become a big time player as the playoffs move on.
The third period commenced with the Bolts up 3-1. Once again like the other periods, they found themselves on the attack early on and it paid off. Brandon Hagel would start the scoring on a beautiful three on two opportunity to make the score 4-1. It would also continue later in the period as Brayden Point would score on possibly one of Tampa Bay’s best offense possessions of the season to make it 5-1. The Maple Leafs would score two more goals but time ran out and the Bolts tie the series as it heads back to Florida.
Cooper on the team’s outing:
“They’re aware of situations, but you have to tip your hats to those guys. You lose a playoff game and the next day come in and say, ‘We’re not going to lose the next one.’
It was most certainly a more motivated and focused team on the ice. The game two win was a big step for the team going forward in the series. A tied series heading back to the bay plays into the Lightning’s favor and it gives them a chance to deliver the needed kill shot to move on to the next round.