On Thursday, the Lightning played well against the Buffalo Sabres but lost in overtime. In this contest versus Montreal, the Lightning didn’t play nearly as well. It was a resilient performance, however, and that resilience helped them earn two points.
The first period was one of the Lightning’s worst in recent outings. The Canadiens played with more urgency and tighter defense. The Lightning managed to post just four shots on net and were unable to produce any decent scoring chances. They also made two mistakes that directly led to Montreal goals. First, they allowed a three-on-one rush, and Joel Armia converted an in-alone chance at 1:27. Later, a d-zone turnover resulted in Jake Evans’ deflection tally at 14:34. The Habs generated a handful of other dangerous looks that didn’t go in. If not for Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning would have trailed by more than two goals after 20 minutes.
In the second period, the Lightning raised their intensity and shifted the game’s momentum. This coincided with Jon Cooper electing to mix up his forward line combinations. The move worked. The Lightning outshot the Canadiens, 14-6, and owned nearly all of the possession. They cut the deficit to 2-1 when Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point teamed up on a nifty passing play in the offensive zone. Point finished a shot from the side of the net at 7:44. At 15:49, the Lightning tied the game. Hagel set up Anthony Cirelli with a cross-ice pass, and Cirelli roofed the puck into the top of the net. In the period’s final minute, the Lightning had a three-on-one rush, but they failed to convert on the odd-man chance.
While it’s true that the final period was the most evenly played of the three, the Habs dictated play for the majority of the frame. They had an advantage in shots, attempts, and scoring chances. Another costly defensive-zone turnover by the Lightning yielded a go-ahead goal for Montreal at 6:23 — Josh Anderson deflected in Cole Caufield’s shot.
The Lightning would tie the game while shorthanded. Tyler Motte stepped in front of a Nick Suzuki cross-ice pass inside the Lightning blue line and countered on a breakaway. He snapped his shot past Primeau at 10:18.
The Habs almost regained the lead after Motte’s goal. Vasilevskiy made a tough save on a Juraj Slafkovsky tip as the Montreal power play ended. Just over a minute later, Suzuki hit the post on a shot off the rush.
In overtime, the Lightning earned a power play when Caufield hooked Victor Hedman. But the Lightning were unable to convert.
In the shootout, the Lightning trailed, 1-0, after two rounds. They needed a goal from Steven Stamkos in Round Three. Stamkos delivered, snapping a shot over Primeau’s stick. Then Vasilevskiy extended the shootout with a save on Armia. Vasilevsky made two more game-saving stops in Rounds Four and Five before Hedman converted in Round Six. Finally, Vasilevskiy stopped Joshua Roy to secure the second point for Tampa Bay.
It was not a pretty win for the Lightning. They overcame a subpar first period, twice rallied from deficits during regulation, and came from behind once more in the shootout. Pretty or not, they’ll bank their two points. They’ll look to take advantage of a four-day break before they face Calgary next Thursday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Mitchell Chaffee — Lightning
- Max Crozier — Lightning.
- Mike Matheson — Canadiens.
