BOLTS OF LIGHTNING

An extremely interesting three games this segment. Tampa Bay hit all possible outcomes going 1-1-1 for 3 points. Check out below how that trio of contests played out for the Blue & Black.

GAME REVIEW

GAME 18 LIGHTNING 6 BLUE JACKETS 7 0T

Tampa Bay squandered an early 3-0 lead and lost a road encounter Thursday to Columbus in overtime 7-6. The win improved the Blue Jackets to 8-9-2 for 18 points. The Bolts dropped to10-6-2 and that adds up to 22 points.

The Lightning dented the scoreboard early in the opening period. On an early power play F Brayden Point (11) lit the lamp with assists credited to F Nikita Kucherov (16) and F Jake Guentzel (11) at 1:51. The Bolts quickly made it 2-zip when F Brandon Hagel (9) put the biscuit in the basket with helpers from Kucherov (17) and F Anthony Cirelli (13) at 3:58. Tampa Bay increased the margin to 3-nil when F Cam Atkinson (1) notched his first goal of the campaign with assists going to D Victor Hedman (14) and F Michael Chaffee (3) at 11:52. Columbus cut the margin to 3-1 at 13:55 and that was the count as both teams when off for the 1st intermission.

The middle period saw the rubber disk go between the pipes six times and it started early when the Blue Jackets evened the score at 3-all less than 2 minutes into the middle period with a couple of quick goals with the later coming at 1:55 with the man advantage. The Bolts reclaimed the lead just 16 seconds later when Chaffee (5) found the back of the net with the assist going to F Conor Geekie (3) at 2:11. Columbus registered the next two markers to go back in front 5-4 at 5:26. The Lightning drew even at 5-apiece when Cirelli (6) nestled the puck over the goal line with Hagel (10) and Kucherov (18) posting the assists at 6:18 to end the scoring in a wild second period.

The Blue Jackets recorded a backbreaking shorthanded goal midway through the final period to go up 6-5. Tampa Bay leveled the score at 6-6 with a power play goal recorded by Geekie (3) with F Gage Goncalves (1) and D DJ Moser providing the assists at 11:23 and that meant extra hockey.

Columbus secured the victory 1:26 into overtime. G Jonas Johansson (1-1-1) was saddled with the loss turning away 36 of 43 shots on goal.

GAME 19 STARS 4 LIGHTNING 2

Dallas scored two third period markers to defeat Tampa Bay 4-2 on Saturday at Amalie Arena. The Stars improved to 13-6 and that adds up to 26 points. The Bolts fell to 10-7-2 for 22 points.

Tampa Bay scored the initial goal of the contest at 4:09 of the opening period. Cirelli (7) converted a rebound to give the Bolts an early 1-0 advantage with the assists going to Hagel (11) and Chaffee (4). Dallas answered that goal with one of their own at 6:05 but the Lightning took the lead back at 8:34 of the first stanza. Again, it was Cirelli (8) depositing a rebound with helpers from D Emil Lilleberg (6) and Hagel (12). The Stars evened the score at 15:49 and both teams went to the locker room at the first intermission all tied at 2 apiece.

After a scoreless middle period, Dallas took their first lead of the night at 6:55 of the final period. The Stars extended their advantage to 4-2 just under a minute later with a power play marker and that would be the final arithmetic.

G Andrei Vasilevskiy (9-6-1) took the loss stopping 24 of 28 shots on goal.

GAME 20 AVALANCHE 2 LIGHTNING 8

Tampa Bay came out firing and recorded five goals in the opening 20 minutes. The barrage started at 5:41 with an unassisted marker by D Nick Perbix (2) to put the home team up 1-0. The score mounted to 2-nil on a power play goal by Guentzel (8) with assists from Hagel (13) and Kucherov (19) at 7:45. The Avs cut the deficit in half at 8:56 but the Lightning posted the next three numbers on the scoreboard starting with Kucherov (12) from Hagel (14) at 10:03. That was followed by F Luke Glendening (1) finding the back of the net with the Bolts shorthanded assisted by Hagel (15) at 13:15. Tampa Bay closed out the scoring assault with Cirelli (9) lighting the lamp with D Eric Cernak (6) and Hagel (16) who posted a record-tying 4th assist in one period with just 14 ticks left in the opening 20 minutes to make the advantage 5-1 after 20 minutes of play.

The scoring leveled off in the middle period with the only goal belonging to the Lightning. With Tampa Bay on the power play, Point (12) was on the receiving end of some nifty passes from who else tonight but Hagel (17) and Kucherov (20) at 9:38 putting the Bolts up 6-1 at the end of 40 minutes of play.

The Avs got an early third period score, but the Lightning doubled that in less than five minutes. Guentzel (9) posted his second goal of the evening with the assist coming from Perbix (4) at 3:09. That was followed by the final marker of the evening when F Mikey Eyssimont (1) put the disk between the pipes with the helper coming from F Zemgus Girgensons (1) with both being their initial goal and point of the season.

Vasilevskiy (10-6-1) turned away 23 of 25 shots to record the victory.

ANALYSIS

*Bolts showed a propensity to overpass in the first two games was cured in the final tilt with the Lightning firing a barrage of pucks on the net.

**Hard to criticize a goalie who plays on average once every 6 games but needs a better performance from Johansson when he’s between the pipes.

***Cirelli is truly on fire with a goal in the last 6 encounters and that’s the longest streak in the NHL this season.