The first period was a fast one, both in terms of the actual total minutes it took to complete and the pace of play. Those are related, of course. The teams were buzzing up and down the ice and there weren't many whistles. But the Lightning didn't allow Carolina to translate its fast pace into sustained pressure. Instead, the Lightning matched Carolina's speed and compete level so they when they were defending, they successfully took away Carolina's time and space. Just as significantly, the Lightning passed the puck crisply. This negated Carolina's attempts to create turnovers off the forecheck and allowed the Lightning to use their own speed game. Excellent passing sequences led to both of their first period goals, too.
In the offensive zone, Alex Killorn made a terrific pass to Victor Hedman, who skated down the right side, took it behind the net, and curled around the other side. Hedman sent the puck to the front of the net where Ross Colton, playing just his second shift in his first NHL game, knocked the puck into the net. On our broadcast, Phil Esposito noted how Colton had used his body to gain separation from Vincent Trocheck in the low slot. That allowed him to be open - and in position - to score the goal.
The second tally came on the Lightning's only power play chance in the game. Mikhail Sergachev zipped a puck up ice to Pat Maroon at the Carolina blue line. Maroon one-timed a touch pass to Yanni Gourde, who was racing down the right wing. Blake Colemen out-skated two other penalty killers and was open in the low slot. He redirected Gourde's centering pass into the net.
The passing plays on those two goals were highlight-worthy. But the Lightning were consistently passing the puck that well through much of the night. Their passing, along with tight team defense, kept Carolina's offense quiet during the first two periods. As Vasilevskiy stated after the game, he really didn't have much work to do during that time.
He was busier in the third, as the Hurricanes made a push. In addition to his save on Foegle, he made eight other stops. Some of those others also were high quality chances for Carolina, but on this night, Vasilevskiy wasn't letting any pucks get past him.
Tonight's contest wraps up the four-game set between the clubs. It's also the fourth game in six nights for the Lightning and fifth in seven for the 'Canes. Will the pace of play continue to be as fast as it was on Wednesday?
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy - Lightning. 25-save shutout.
2. Jan Rutta - Lightning.
3. Alex Nedeljkovic - Hurricanes. 25 saves.
