The Arizona Coyotes are, on average, the youngest team in the NHL. They have some dynamic players, including October's NHL Rookie of the Month Clayton Keller. But the Lightning are a more seasoned team and, as long as they wore those work boots, they were able to utilize their speed and skill to dominate large segments of this game.
The stats bear out the Lightning's advantage in play. In the first period, the Bolts outshot Arizona, 18-10. During the opening 15 minutes, the shot count was 18-5. First period shot attempts were 34-15. And, of course, the Lightning grabbed a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Vladdy Namestnikov's opening goal came during a sizzling Lightning power play opportunity, one in which they fired five shots on net. Arizona's PK had killed 51 of its previous 57 penalties, but the Lightning's quick puck movement effectively opened up shooting lanes and created scoring chances. On the shift after the Namestnikov goal, Brayden Point sped past the Arizona defense and converted on a breakaway. It was Point's fifth consecutive game with a goal and sixth straight contest with a point. Tyler Johnson, who assisted on the goal, also has points in six consecutive games.
The first period was a commanding one for the Lightning - if not for the goaltending of Antti Raanta, the Lightning lead might have been even bigger. But they would add to it early in the second. Nikita Kucherov's quick wrist shot from the left point deflected off an Arizona stick past Raanta. Although the Coyotes got that goal back when Keller scored on a power play, the Lightning finished the second period strongly. After Keller's goal, the Lightning posted eight of the final nine shots of the period and, again, if not for Raanta, would have extended the lead. That shot count doesn't include Ryan Callahan's rebound goal that was disallowed because the referee had lost sight of the puck and blew the play dead.
Johnson made it 4-1 on the Lightning's first shot of the third period. His quickness and speed has been on display and he used it on this play to create space off the rush. He snapped a right circle shot over Raanta's glove. In the final period, the Coyotes did have more puck possession and shots than in the first or second, but Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 16 third period shots he faced.
The one sour note from this game was the third period injury to Callahan, who got tangled up with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. But as a whole, the Lightning have to feel good about how they took care of business against a team that handed them two costly defeats in the head-to-head meetings last year.
Lightning Radio Big Moment of the Game:
Namestnikov's first period goal.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
