Down two games to none and facing a Game Three in Sunrise without the suspended Brandon Hagel, the Lightning posted their biggest win of the season.
There were several keys to the victory. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves and denied numerous scoring chances. The penalty kill went 4-4. And the Lightning were on the positive side of the ‘big play’ metric.
Still, things didn’t start well for the Lightning. The Panthers struck first when Sam Bennett drove to the net. He mishandled the puck, but it caromed directly to Matthew Tkachuk at the other side of the crease. Tkachuk slid it into an open net at 2:43.
For much of the rest of the first period, the Panthers pressed the attack. They forechecked aggressively, owned a large possession advantage, and created a handful of Grade-A scoring chances. But Vasilevskiy kept the deficit at 1-0.
Then, with under three minutes left in the period, the tide turned. Jake Guentzel intercepted a clearing attempt from Gustav Forsling and worked the puck to Nikita Kucherov at the right point. Kucherov eluded two Florida defenders and slipped a pass back to Guentzel in the slot. Guentzel made a move around Sam Reinhart, stepped closer to the net, and shot the puck. It hit off Brayden Point and eluded Sergei Bobrovsky at 17:15.
The Point goal not only leveled the score; it leveled the ice. The second period was evenly played. Both teams had segments in which they applied pressure. The Lightning had two odd-man looks, opportunities that were almost non-existent in the first two games. Both involved Guentzel and Nick Paul — the first of those came when the Lightning were shorthanded. Guentzel took a shot at the right circle that missed the net. But on the second of those chances, which came on the shift after a Lightning power play ended, Paul converted. The play started with a regroup in the neutral zone. Ryan McDonagh fed Paul on the right wing. Paul gave it to Gage Goncalves, who entered the offensive zone at the right point. Goncalves drew Forsling to him and moved the puck forward to Paul, creating a two-on-one down low. Paul shot the puck off Bobrovsky’s skate and into the net at 13:17. The Lightning had their first lead in the series.
The Lightning were on the power play to wrap up the second period. But a scrum at the end of the frame led to a penalty on Anthony Cirelli, meaning that the teams would begin the third period on a brief four-on-four before the Panthers began a power play of their own. There were only 24 seconds of four-on-four to start the third, but the Lightning made the most of that time. Kucherov entered the offensive zone and attempted a left-circle shot. It was deflected wide. Kucherov tracked it behind the net and delivered a no-look backhand pass on the short side to Guentzel. Bobrovsky reached with his stick to deflect the pass but lost control of the stick. Guentzel shot it past Bobrovsky on that stick side at :21.
The Lightning navigated through the early penalty kill as well as another one later in the frame. The Panthers, in chase mode, allowed a counter two-on-one to Yanni Gourde and Luke Glendening with under six minutes left. Glendening finished his shot to extend the lead. Soon after, the Panthers pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker. Cirelli scored the empty-netter at 15:00 to finish the scoring.
On that play, Tkachuk delivered a late open-ice check to Guentzel. Tkachuk was assessed a five-minute major for interference, so the Lightning played the final five minutes on the power play.
After the early goal against, the Lightning made all of the other big plays in Game Three. Those included their first three goals: the tying goal, the go-ahead goal, and the insurance goal. They also included timely, crucial saves from Vasilevskiy. And the PK had two kills that kept the game tied at one and two others that helped the Lightning maintain a 3-1 lead.
It was a critical win for the Lightning, but they still trail in the series. Game Four takes place on Monday evening.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Jake Guentzel — Lightning. Goal and two assists.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 33 saves.
- Nick Paul — Lightning. GWG.
