The Penguins entered this game having gone 1-5-1 in their previous seven contests. When facing a struggling team, it's ideal to score early and keep them feeling down. That didn't happen for the Lightning, though. They did apply early pressure, but Matt Murray kept them off the board. Then the Lightning got into penalty trouble, committing three consecutive infractions. The Pens scored on two of those. Those goals buoyed the Pens, who were at their most dangerous in the second half of the first. Louis Domingue made a terrific glove save on Jake Guentzel, preventing Pittsburgh from extending the lead.
Then, in the final minute of the period, the Pens found themselves in major penalty trouble, too. A Phil Kessel slash was indicated and the Lightning possessed the puck on the delayed penalty call. Before the Pens touched the puck, Evgeni Malkin tripped Steven Stamkos. So the Lightning had a two-minute five-on-three. The power plays started with just under 23 seconds left in the period, so it was critical that Point won the offensive zone faceoff. Ten seconds into the five-on-three, Matt Cullen committed a tripping penalty. Since a team cannot have a five-on-two power play, the Cullen penalty wouldn't start until one of the other penalties came off the board. With under 13 seconds left in the frame, Point won another faceoff. With under three seconds remaining, he roofed a shot from the left circle over Murray's left shoulder and into the net.
That was a huge goal for many reasons. First, it pulled the Lightning to within a goal. Second, any goal in the final seconds of a period is uplifting to the team that scores it and deflating to the opposition. Third, it meant that the Cullen penalty would begin with the Lightning still on a two-man advantage. And lastly, since Point scored it "early" on the first five-on-three, the Lightning had plenty of five-on-three (and overall) power play time to start the second.
When the second period began, it took the Lightning just 41 seconds to tie the game. Point received a crisp pass from Steven Stamkos at the side of the net and one-timed it in. The quickness of that goal meant that the Lightning still had over a minute of five-on-four power play time. Point completed his hat trick when J.T. Miller slid him a pass in the slot and Point zipped the puck past Murray's stick. (For Point, not only did he record his first-ever NHL hat trick, he posted the fastest hat trick - 91 seconds - in Lightning franchise history.)
Clearly, those power play chances - and the Lightning's ability to score on them - completely changed the complexion of the game. And after the Pens tied it, the Lightning used Gourde's power play goal to regain the lead. They almost scored a fifth power play goal later in the second, but Murray made two tough saves on Stamkos (including one that deflected off the crossbar) and Kris Letang blocked another Stamkos shot away from an empty net. The Lightning also got through a penalty kill of their own late in the second, holding Pittsburgh to just one shot on that power play.
Still up 4-3 entering the third, the Lightning clamped down defensively. Unlike the special-teams-filled first two periods, the third was played almost entirely at even strength (the Pens took a penalty in the closing seconds). The Lightning's puck management was outstanding, their positional play was solid and they kept Pittsburgh's zone time and dangerous looks to a minimum. The Pens posted nine shots in the period and 16 total attempts. From the Lightning's perspective, those are excellent numbers. Domingue did make a breakaway save on Zach Aston-Reese, but that may have been the only Grade-A chance the Pens generated.
Thanks to their power play and strong close-out third period performance, the Lightning were able to post a stirring comeback win and snap their two-game skid.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
1. Brayden Point - Lightning. Natural hat trick. Three PPG.
2. Anthony Cirelli - Lightning Won eight of 11 faceoffs.
3. Evgeni Malkin - Penguins. Two assists.
