The Lightning began the game playing the way they would throughout the second. It was reminiscent of their first period performance on Friday in Minnesota. They used their team speed to put the opposition back on its heels. They passed the puck crisply and generated Grade-A scoring chances. Prior to this contest, Chicago goaltender Cam Ward had played 45 career games against the Lightning, all while as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. But this may have been his best-ever performance versus Tampa Bay (even though it was a game in which he allowed five goals). He made several point-blank stops in the opening minutes. During that first period, he only allowed a goal on a Nikita Kucherov breakaway before the 'Hawks made their push in the second half of the frame.
But in the second, the Lightning simply didn't take their foot off the gas pedal. Ward dealt with a game's worth of work in the second period alone. He stopped 30 of those 33 shots. But the Lightning's dominance wasn't just tied to the volume of shots - it had more to do with the quality of those attempts. The Lightning likely recorded 20 or more scoring chances in the period. Those included multiple breakaways, in-tight looks and one-timers from the slot. In terms of their skating and puck movement, the Lightning put on a clinic. Anthony Cirelli's relentless work at the side of the net forced the puck past Ward at 4:22. It was already the Lightning's 10th shot of the period. During a Lightning power play, Yanni Gourde finished a tic-tac-toe passing sequence when he snapped a shot from the low slot over Ward. Then, Brayden Point finished the second period scoring when he scooped a loose puck over Ward after the Chicago goalie made consecutive close range saves on Kucherov and Point.
The Lightning didn't maintain that same level of dominance in the third, but they played well with a multi-goal lead. And they still generated more good looks. Ondrej Palat and Point each had another close call before Victor Hedman made it 5-1. The 'Hawks pulled to within 5-3 in the closing minutes with a fluky goal off a dump in that hit the linesman and ricocheted to David Kampf in the slot and then a six-on-four power play goal for Nick Schmaltz, but they would get no closer. Ryan Callahan's empty-netter sealed the win.
The Lightning are known as a fast, high-octane team. When they have their skating legs going and are hitting on all cylinders, they create major problems for the opposition. Certainly, the 'Hawks experienced that first-hand tonight.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
1. Anthony Cirelli - Ligthning. Goal. Nine shots.
2. Tyler Johnson - Lightning. Six shots.
3. Louis Domingue - Lightning. 33 saves. Highlight-reel save on Patrick Kane.
