Mishkin's Extra Shift: Lightning 5, Oilers 3

This one certainly lived up to its billing. Offensive production from some of the league's top players. A milestone goal. And a close, exciting game that went down to the wire. In the end, the Lightning withstood an Edmonton comeback - and a Leon Draisaitl shot off the post with 1:05 left - to come away with a 5-3 win.

The Lightning hadn't played since February 15th. They were determined to get off to a better start than they had in some of their other games that occurred after a break. While they did take a 2-1 lead into the locker room after 20 minutes, their first period performance wasn't an especially crisp one. They managed just five shots on goal and only eight shot attempts. Still, they did manage to generate some dangerous looks, including an in-alone tip chance for Mathieu Joseph in the game's opening minute. Pat Maroon's goal may have gone in the net off an Edmonton defender (after Mike Smith made an initial save on Maroon), but the sequence began when Maroon got behind the Edmonton defense and forced the save from Smith.
At the other end, the Oilers produced more first period shots (nine) and attempts (19). Andrei Vasilevskiy made eight saves, including tough stops on Zach Hyman from the slot and on Ryan McLeod's redirection tip off the rush (moments before Maroon's goal). The Oilers also had several "close call" plays in the opening frame, dangerous looking shots that missed the net and near misses on potential odd-man rushes. The Oilers did convert on a late first period power play - a Connor McDavid goal scored shortly after Draisaitl won the offensive zone face-off.
Each team scored an important goal that changed the complexion of the game. For the Lightning. their tally came in the closing seconds of the first. From the left circle, Steven Stamkos wheeled and zipped a shot over Smith's right shoulder into the top of the net. The Stamkos tally came at 19:45 of the period, 1:35 after the McDavid PPG. It allowed the Lightning to regain the lead, one they wouldn't relinquish again.
As the game moved into the second period and neared the halfway point of the game, the Lightning got more in synch. They owned more possession than they had in the first, helping them spend more time in the offensive zone. In the final 10 minutes of the second period, the Lightning netted two goals and had two power play chances. They actually drew three penalties, but Brayden Point's goal at 10:48 of the second following a delayed penalty on McDavid negated what would have been their first power play chance. Point established position in front of the Edmonton net and had two point blank shots. Smith stopped the first, but Point slid in the rebound.
Then came the back-to-back power play chances. The Oilers recorded four shorthanded shots during those kills, so they did create some up-ice pressure. But late on the second power play, the Lightning converted. Maroon won a puck battle in the left corner and fed Mikhail Sergachev, who had stepped to the left circle. Corey Perry skated through the low slot and deflected Sergachev's shot into the top of the net. Goal number 400 for Perry.
The three-goal lead lasted less than two minutes, though. Just as Stamkos' late first period goal was an important one for the Lightning, Hyman's breakaway tally at 17:12 of the second was a big for the Oilers. Following an icing, the Lightning skated out of the d-zone, but turned the puck over just inside the offensive blue line. As the Lightning were changing their D, Draisaitl hurried the puck up ice to Hyman, who converted on the breakaway.
Back to within two goals, the Oilers made a push in the third. Head coach Jay Woodcroft put McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line for the final 20 minutes and those two players, along with Hyman, applied pressure throughout the third. McDavid converted on a rush chance from the slot at 9:39, making it a one-goal game. But the Oilers never found the equalizer. With Smith on the bench for an extra attacker, McDavid delivered a cross-ice pass to Draisaitl at the right circle. Draisaitl's one-timer hit off the inside of the short-side post and clanged away. The shot came with 1:05 remaining. After that, the Lightning navigated their way through a couple of icings and eventually added an empty-netter when Kucherov stole the puck from Draisaitl and scored from close-range at 19:56.
Given the long layoff and the opponent, this was a challenging game for the Lightning. The Oilers, like the Lightning, are a fast transition team. But the Lightning hung in there against Edmonton's dynamic players. And they effectively converted on the chances they generated. Next up, of course, is Saturday's Stadium Series game in Nashville.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Erik Cernak - Lightning. Plus three rating.
2. Mikhail Sergachev - Lightning. Two assists.
3. Connor McDavid - Oilers. Two goals.