Halloween Eve at Benchmark International Arena was full of stars from Dallas and Tampa.
The Lightning’s home arena is walking distance from the visiting team’s hotel, so it’s common to see different NHL players walking around after morning skates and before their games.
It’s worth mentioning that the area around the arena was crowded during lunchtime on Thursday, with some Bolts fans and memorabilia collectors hunting for Mikko Rantanen. He avoided any interaction by choosing an alternate route back to the team’s hotel. At the same time, 22-year-old Wyatt Johnston posed for a picture with a kid.
TB Sports’ in-arena store dropped new pumpkin T-shirts and pucks before the evening festivities. It was busier than usual at 1:00 PM. Thunder Alley was slowly transforming into a Halloween scene, with skeleton and pumpkin decorations. Everything was getting ready for a fun night.
The Lightning players traditionally arrived one by one in their business suits, but all were wearing the same “Kuch 1000” T-shirt. Nikita Kucherov, who logged his 1,000th point against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 25, was joined by his family on the ice for a pre-game celebration ceremony. He was presented with a custom milestone stick by Heritage Stick Company. The Bolts’ leader was motivated to make a colorful impression, but he ended up with five shots and no goals. Both goalies, Vasilevskiy and Oettinger, were outstanding.
It took 35 minutes to see the red light and hear the horn. The power-play goal by Brandon Hagel was under review from multiple cameras and angles before it was finally counted. The Lightning pushed hard and shot a lot in the first two periods — something that was missing at the start of the season. Erik Cernak closed the night with three shots and five hits, the most among defensemen.
Baker Mayfield and Tristan Wirfs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the house. During an intermission interview, both admired the number of regular-season games NHL players handle compared to those in the NFL.
Back on the ice, Adam Erne’s redirected shot tied the contest 1-1 at the beginning of the third period. There’s a saying about quick goals: the opposing team is still mentally in the locker room. The Tampa Bay Lightning paid for a lack of concentration. The Stars are considered a highly favored Stanley Cup contender in the West, so it’s vital to stay focused every second against such a skilled team. Tyler Seguin played in his 1,000th NHL game but lost 50% of his faceoffs.
The guests were on a 5-on-3 in the middle of the third period, and Vasilevskiy didn’t leave them any rebound chances. Anthony Cirelli accelerated in overtime, closing the deal 2-1. It’s the fourth consecutive win for the Lightning, who moved up to 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
The only two post-game questionable indicators are 41.3% on faceoffs and 17 giveaways. The puck control was far from perfect. But that’s another story.
On Saturday, the Bolts will leave for a three-game road trip.