Mishkin's Extra Shift: Lightning 6, Kings 4

The biggest storyline - at least from the Lightning's perspective - was that, due to injuries and cap constraints, they had to play the entire game with only four defensemen. Their ability to successfully manage that challenge was an important key to their victory.

While the heavy lifting fell on the shoulders of Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, and Cal Foote, the forwards also played an important role. The Lightning knew the four D would be logging more minutes than usual, but they needed to limit "hard" minutes. In other words, the Lightning understood that, as a team, they had to avoid turnovers that would lead to extended defensive zone shifts. One long, difficult shift for two of the D could have an effect on subsequent shifts. This would be especially true in the second period, the frame in which a team's defensive zone is across the red line from its bench. Also, as Jon Cooper mentioned afterwards, it was crucial that the Lightning didn't have any of the four D take penalties. Consequently, they avoided situations in which there might have been extensive kill time for the other three available defensemen.
The D did play a lot. Hedman led the way with 32:37, McDonagh was next with 29:18, Sergachev had 27:38, and Foote played a career-high 24:54. But as whole, the Lightning managed the puck well, so the four D mostly avoided extended shifts. The Lightning were shorthanded three times, but the defenseman stayed out of the box. One penalty was a bench minor and the other two were called on forwards. (Brayden Point also served 7 minutes of penalty time - more on that shortly). So certainly, this was a standout performance for the four D, but the forwards contributed to the effort with strong team play.
Now to the particulars of the game. The first period was a quiet one. The teams each posted just four shots on goal. They both had only 10 total shot attempts. But one of those was a terrific chance that Hedman buried. Anze Kopitar's drop pass in the offensive zone got past the stick of Olli Maatta. Hedman was skating towards Maatta as the puck came out of the Lightning's d-zone, so Hedman had momentum skating forward while Maatta was caught flat-footed. Hedman outraced Maatta and Matt Roy down the ice and he finished his breakaway with a shot that went over the pad and under the glove of Cal Petersen.
The intensity and temperature of the game went up in the second period. Blake Lizotte wasn't called for a trip when his skate clipped the skate of Point deep in the Tampa Bay end. The non-call led to Lizotte's steal and open-look finish at 8:52. The Lightning weren't happy about the missed call. Then, off the ensuing face-off, Philip Danault slew-footed Point. An incensed Point fought Danault - the officials gave each player a minor plus a fighting major. So neither Point (for power play) nor Danault (on penalty kill) were available when Sean Durzi went to the box for cross-checking Hedman in the back following a goalmouth scramble in front of Petersen. The power play didn't start well for the Lightning, as Alex Iafallo stole the puck in the Tampa Bay end and roofed a shot from the slot at 11:44. Before the power play ended, however, the Lightning tied it. Hedman set up Nikita Kucherov at the right circle for a one-timer that deflected in the net off Petersen.
Just over a minute later, the Lightning went on the kill and once again the teams traded goals. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare broke up a Kopitar rush at the Lightning blue line, leading to a Mathieu Joseph counter. Joseph drew the attention of four LA players, then slipped a pass to an open Bellemare in the middle of the ice. Bellemare deked Petersen and tucked in a backhand. But late on the power play, the Kings answered. Following a d-zone face-off win, the Lightning failed to clear the zone. Durzi held in the attempt and eventually set up Arthur Kaliyev for an open look from the left circle. The shot was going wide, but it deflected off Hedman's stick into the top of the net. The game was tied after 40 minutes.
Halfway through the third, the Lightning got the lead back. Point and Kucherov won a puck battle along the boards. Similar to the breakdown on Bellemare's goal, the Kings had four players caught on one side of the ice. Kucherov quickly moved the puck to Hedman, who was open in the middle of the ice. He zipped a shot from the slot past Petersen's stick at 10:43.
Over the next several minutes, the Kings made a push to tie it back up. They almost did, but Iafallo put a backhand rebound off the post. Shortly thereafter, the Lightning tallied another. From the left point in the offensive zone, McDonagh delivered a cross-ice pass to Joseph, who buried a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle into an open side of the net. Steven Stamkos' empty-netter at 17:18 was followed by Danault's goal in the final minute, setting the final at 6-4.
In addition to their ability to manage the game for the four D, the Lightning also made some dazzling plays that led to goals. The Kings committed some coverage mistakes and the Lightning made LA pay for them.
The Lightning don't play again until Friday in Anaheim. They hope that by the time they face the Ducks that they'll have some of their injured players back in the lineup.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Bobby "The Chief" Taylor):
1. Victor Hedman - Lightning. Two goals and assist. 32:37 TOI.
2. Mathieu Joseph - Lightning. GWG and assist.
3. Ryan McDonagh - Lightning. Assist. 29:18 TOI.