But Lack wasn't the only reason why the Devils won. The Lightning, despite holding New Jersey to 28 shots, did not have a good night defensively. On Thursday against Detroit, the Lightning yielded 39 shots, but limited opposition scoring chances. Tonight was a different story. In the first period, the Lightning gave up nine shots, but a number were dangerous attempts around the net. In the second, they allowed numerous odd-man rushes - two of those resulted in Devils goals. They were both critical scores. The first came on the shift after Brayden Point had given the Lightning a 2-1 lead. The other occurred during a Lightning power play - the Bolts had a poor line change and the Devils capitalized. On Miles Wood's eventual GWG early in the third, the Lightning not only lost a puck battle deep in their defensive zone, they also lost coverage on Wood, who finished an open chance from the slot.
The stats greatly favored the Lightning - they outshot the Devils, 51-28, and owned an 80-39 shot attempt advantage. It's true that the Lightning did a lot of good things in the offensive zone to generate scoring chances and that they made a strong push in the third after falling behind 4-2. But their defensive miscues were costly and, coupled with Lack's stellar night, proved to be the difference in the game.
Lightning Radio Big Moment of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
Pavel Zacha's shorthanded goal.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Eddie Lack - Devils. 48 saves.
2. Nico Hischier - Devils. Goal.
3. Nikita Kucherov - Lightning. Assist. Career-high 11 shots on goal.
