Coming off a hard fought win over the division rival Boston Bruins two nights ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning had to avoid a letdown when they hosted the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. They did that, heading into their All Star break with a 5-2 victory that set a new franchise record of 12 straight home wins.
Game Flow
The Lightning began the game slow, giving the Kings a few golden opportunities to open the scoring. Andrei Vasilevskiy showed why he’s again headed to the All Star Game, with big saves on Victor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala to keep the game scoreless.
Brayden Point broke the ice five minutes into the opening frame, scoring his 29th of the season to make it 1-0. Nikita Kucherov got the lone assist, his 53rd of the year. He leads the league in assists and is third in points with 72, only one behind Leon Draisaitl for second in the NHL.
A little over a minute later, the fourth line came through with a goal of their own to double the lead. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare took a nice pass from rookie defenseman Nick Perbix and sent a wrist shot past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, making it 2-0.
Halfway through the first, Jaret Anderson-Dolan fired a shot on net and got a little luck, as Vasilevskiy was slow to close his legs and the puck squeezed through the five hole and over the line to cut the Lightning’s lead in half at 2-1.
Five minutes later, Corey Perry restored the Bolts two goal lead by pouncing on a rebound and firing the puck home.
In the middle frame, both teams got chances and two goals were scored, one for each team. Ross Colton beat Quick first, making it 4-1. Phillip Danault then had his shot tipped by veteran blue liner Ian Cole past Vasilevskiy to again cut the lead in half, this time at 4-2.
The final frame saw the Kings control much of the play, with nine shots on goal to the Lightning’s one. In saying that, Victor Hedman took advantage of a tired Kings team in the final few minutes, ripping a shot from the point that found the back of the net to make it 5-2.
Game Notes
- Steven Stamkos extended his point streak to 11 games with an assist on Hedman’s goal late.
- The Lightning set a new franchise record by winning their 12th straight game at Amalie Arena.
- Rookie defenseman Nick Perbix had his best game as a pro, with three primary assists.
- Ross Colton continued his recent strong play, with his third goal of this home stand.
- With the win, the Lightning now sit at 65 points, three back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division.
Next Up
With the first half of the season done, the Lightning now get a little over a week off before returning to play with another big, divisional matchup against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Monday, February 6. Puck drop is set for 7pm EST.
Speaking of the Panthers, they are hosting this year’s All Star Game and festivities.