Overall, the Lightning played well in the first and third periods and poorly in the second. But the opening minutes were bumpy ones. Just 2:15 into the game, Steven Stamkos was whistled for a four-minute high-sticking double minor and Detroit scored on the first of those two power plays. But the Lightning rebounded during the second minor, posting three shorthanded shots on goal. Shortly after the penalty expired, the Wings created their last good chance in the period. Andrei Vasilevskiy made a tough stop on Michael Rasmussen at 4:37 to keep the deficit at 1-0. After that, the Lightning took over the period. They posted the next eight shots on goal and scored twice. Brayden Point converted on a power play, finishing off a quick passing sequence from the slot. The puck moved from Stamkos to Victor Hedman to Ondrej Palat to Point. Just 35 seconds later, the Lightning had the lead, as Tyler Johnson tipped in Blake Coleman's point shot.
The Red Wings rallied in the second, scoring twice. The Lightning's attention to detail dipped, as they endured rush coverage lapses on both goals. They also enjoyed far less possession time than in the opening frame. Vasilevskiy likely saw more Detroit scoring chances in middle period than he faced in the other two periods combined. After outshooting the Red Wings, 13-6 in the first, the Lightning got outshot, 12-6, in the second.
The Lightning regrouped in the third. First, they successfully killed a penalty to Anthony Cirelli that came at the 2:00 mark. Their first shot on goal of the third occurred at 6:32, when Thomas Greiss made a save on Alex Killorn. It was a couple of shifts later that the Lightning really got going. The line of Cirelli, Point, and Palat put two close range shots on net. Greiss stopped both of them, but the Lightning kept up the pressure. Less than two minutes later, they tied the game. Pat Maroon delivered a backhand pass from the left corner towards the right point. Cernak collected the puck and had room to skate closer to the net. He fired a shot from the right circle that went between Greiss' pads. With the goal, Cernak completed a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" - earlier, he had assisted on Johnson's first period goal and fought Anthony Mantha in the second period.
The Lightning generated other good looks through the end of regulation, including another Cernak shot that deflected off Palat and ricocheted off the post. In the third, they outshot Detroit, 9-4.
Three-on-three overtime is played like the second period, in which a team's defensive zone is across the red line from its bench. So an opportunistic club can catch its opponent on a slow line change. That's what Mikhail Sergachev did. With the puck on his stick in the Lightning d-zone, Sergachev waited until Johnson and Coleman came off the Lightning bench near the offensive blue line. At the same time, two Detroit forwards also went to the bench. Before the two new Detroit forwards could get on the ice and reach Johnson and Coleman, Sergachev passed the puck up ice to Johnson. On the ensuing two-on-one, Johnson set up Coleman, who one-timed his shot into the top of the net.
Heading into the Chicago series, the Lightning had been 0-4 in games that they trailed after two periods. They've now won their last two in such instances.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Bobby "The Chief" Taylor):
1. Erik Cernak - Lightning. Gordie Howe Hat Trick - Goal, Assist, Fight.
2. Blake Coleman - Lightning. GWG and assist. First career OT winner.
3. Tyler Johnson - Lightning. Goal and assist.
