BOLTS OF LIGHTNING

A 2-2 segment for the Bolts last week garnering four of a possible 8 points. Check out how those scenarios played out on the ice.

GAME REVIEW

GAME 68 LIGHTNING 3 STARS 2 SO

Tampa Bay grasps victory from the jaws of defeat with two late goals as well as a couple of stops in the Shootout to defeat Dallas 3-2 at the American Airlines Center on Thursday. The Bolts moved to 40-23-5 for 85 points. The Stars record went to 43-21-4 staying at 90 points.

The Lightning dented the scoreboard at 4:35 for the only score of the opening period. F Brandon Hagel (32) lit the lamp with F Anthony Cirelli (26) and F Nikita Kucherov (68) providing the helpers.

The Bolts made it 2-zip at 7:21 of the second period. Cirelli (23) found the back of the net with Hagel (43) and F Yanni Gourde (16) registering the assists.

The Stars cut the deficit to 2-1 37 seconds later and tied the score at 13:48 with a power play marker. Both teams went to their locker room after 40 minutes of hockey deadlocked at 2 each.

The goaltenders took over with cleans sheets in the third period as well as the overtime period. Tampa Bay fell behind 2-1 in the shootout but came back with a goal by Kucherov to tie the contest along with a couple of stops by G Andrei Vasilevskiy setting the stage for F Gage Goncalves to provide the game winner.

Vasilevskiy (33-18-3) stopped 22 of 24 shots on goal to record the victory.

GAME 69 LIGHTNING 4 UTAH 6

Tampa Bay got into a shooting match and came up on the short end of a 6-4 contest with the Utah Hockey Club Saturday at the Delta Center. With the win Utah becomes 32-27-11 totaling 75 points. The Bolts dropped to 40-24-5 remaining at 85 points.

Utah jumped out to a 2-nil lead with first period goals at 8:42 and 17:42. The Lightning cut the lead in half at 18:49 with a power play goal. F Brayden Point (33) did the honors with F Jake Guentzel (32) and F Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) notching the assists. Both teams ended 20 minutes of hockey with the home team clinging to a 2-1 advantage.

Tampa Bay knotted the score at 2 each at 5:22 of the middle period. Cirelli (24) put the biscuit in the basket with Hagel (44) and Kucherov (68) providing the helpers.

Utah regained the lead 36 ticks later only to see the Bolts tie the contest again at 3-3 at 17:23. Guentzel (34) found the back of the net with D Nick Perbix (11) and Gourde (17) registering the assists but the home team jumped ahead just 30 seconds later. That made the count 4-3 in favor of Utah after two periods of play.

Utah stretched the lead to 5-3 at 1:10 but the Lightning got within a goal at 2:54 with Point (34) recording his second goal of the tilt with D Ryan McDonagh (21) and Guentzel (33) chalking up the helpers.

The Bolts attempted to tie the score on numerous occasions but Utah salted away the victory with an empty netter coming at 19:03. That made the final arithmetic 6-4 in favor of the Salt Lake squad.

G Brandon Halverson (0-1-0) made the first start of his NHL career but came up short turning away 19 of 24 shots on goal.

GAME 70 LIGHTNING 2 GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4

Tampa Bay dropped their second consecutive road game on Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena 4-2 to Vegas. The Golden Knights improved to 42-20-8 advancing to 92 points. With the loss the Bolts dropped to 40-25-5 leveling at 85 points.

Vegas jumped out to an early lead with three first period markers. The first was a power play goal at 11:02 followed by a pair at 13:13 and 19:13.

The Bolts got on the scoreboard at 17:38 of the middle stanza. F Nick Paul (21) slid the puck over the goal line with Goncalves (9) and D Darren Raddysh (27) contributing the assists.

The Golden Knights put the game out of reach with an empty net score at 17:18 of the third period. The Lightning closed out the scoring with 5 ticks left in regulation with Kucherov (30) netting a power play marker with D Victor Hedman (42) and Hagel (45) recording the markers to make the final score 4-2 in favor of the Golden Knights.

#88 (33-19-3) suffered the defeat stopping 26 of 29 shots.

GAME 71 PENGUINS 1 LIGHTNING 6 

Tampa Bay exploded with four first period markers on the way to a 6-1 dismantling of Pittsburgh on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena. The Bolts advanced to 41-25-5 equating to 87 points. The Penguins fell to 29-33-11 for 69 points.

The Bolts posted four first period goals starting at 12:13. Cirelli (25) started the onslaught with Paul (18) and McDonaugh (22) getting the assists. The Lightning made it 2-zip at 13:30 this time with McDonaugh (3) lighting the lamp with Kucherov (69) and D Erik Cernak (17) providing the helpers.

Tampa Bay increased the lead to 3-nil at 15:12. Again it was Cirelli (26) with Hagel (46) and D J.J. Moser (10) finding #71 for the score. The Blue & Black polished off a four goal initial 20 minute barrage just 48 ticks later with Point (35) putting the rubber disk across the goal line with Guentzel (34) and Kucherov (70) getting credit for the assists.

The Bolts kept the pressure on with two more goals in the middle period. This time at 15:31 Kucherov (31) with the help of Raddysh (28) and Bjorkstrand (23) notched the score. Then with 49 seconds left Hagel (33) made it 6-0 with Perbix (12) and D Emil Lilleberg (17) being credited with the assists.

The Pens avoided the shutout at 14:15 of the final period. That would be the only score by the visitors making the final score 6-0 in favor of the Lightning.

The Big Cat (34-19-3) only had to turn away 14 of 15 shots to secure the victory.

ANALYSIS

*Halverson registered his first start in the NHL. Only other appearance was in relief of Henrik Lundqvist on February 17 of 2018. 

**The Bolts now have four players with at least 30 goals for the second time in franchise history with the first time being the 2022-23 campaign

***The Lightning scored 4 goals in the space of 3:47 making that the fourth fastest in franchise history.