The Backcheck: Offense abound as Bolts split weekend back to back

The Tampa Bay Lightning stopped their four-game losing streak on Saturday in Toronto before falling in a chaotic game in Buffalo on Sunday night by an 8-7 score.

Tampa Bay is now 39-19-4 this season and sits second in the Atlantic Division, two standings points behind the Buffalo Sabres but with two games in hand.

Tampa Bay will now return to Benchmark International Arena as they aim for another win when they open a three-game homestand with Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Perry scores in return, Bolts get back on track in Toronto

Corey Perry said during warmups before Saturday’s Atlantic Division clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs that wearing the Lightning logo again felt like coming home.

He made his homecoming fruitful, scoring in his first game as a Bolt since 2023 to help Tampa Bay take a 5-2 victory at Scotiabank Arena after the veteran of 21 NHL seasons got through the airport after 5 a.m. from Los Angeles earlier in the day.

“Hockey's fun, and there's no off nights in the NHL,” Perry said. “I just love playing the game. I got some sleep on the plane, so it wasn't too bad. But yeah, it was a late night.“

Saturday’s win stopped a four-game losing streak for Tampa Bay.

The Lightning used a strong first period to get back to winning—despite Toronto taking a 1-0 lead before the fifth minute of hockey after a Lightning turnover, the visitors rattled off four unanswered goals to take command of the first period.

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh evened the score 46 seconds after the opening goal, sending a shot toward the net that ricocheted in off a Maple Leafs defender’s skate.

Forward Jake Guentzel then gave the visitors their first lead in five games, potting a rebound chance on the backhand with 7:30 left in the period.

Perry made his mark just over a minute later, accepting a pass in the left faceoff circle by kicking the puck to his stick and burying the shot past Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz.

“It's nice to be back and nice to be playing, and you can see what this team is all about and how they can play,” Perry said. “And we showed that in the first period.”

Tampa Bay enjoyed his return just as much.

Just ask Brandon Hagel.

“He’s gonna bring everyone into the fight, and he's one heck of a player. You've seen what he's done in the playoffs over the years…I'll take that guy on my team any day of the week, and he's still doing it every day in and day out. Shows guys how to be a pro, how to play till you're 40 years old. I think we all want to do that, and it's pretty impressive what he's doing.”

The Lightning got their third goal in 3:06 of hockey to make it 4-1 when Oliver Bjorkstrand snapped a power-play one-timer into the back of the net off a cross-ice pass from Nikita Kucherov.

Coach Jon Cooper wants his team to keep cutting down high-quality chances allowed, but he saw improvement from the recent losing stretch.

“We’ve just got to tighten that up a little bit more,” Cooper said. “But we got the lead, we extended the lead, protected the lead. I loved all that. So this is definitely a step forward as opposed to what’s gone on the last week and a half.”

Kucherov earned his fourth assist of the night and 100th point of the season when he set up an empty-net goal for Brandon Hagel to close the scoring. This marks Kucherov’s fourth consecutive 100-point season and sixth overall. 

Only six players in NHL history have posted more 100-point campaigns.

“It’s poetry on ice, watching him play,” Cooper said of Kucherov postgame. ”He sees things other guys don’t, and I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to it for almost a decade. Just his ability to create and his vision, it’s unparalleled.”

Buffalo scored on a late wraparound goal to close the scoring, but Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves on 29 shots for a .931 save percentage and the win.

Kucherov led all players with his four-point night, while four other Bolts had two-point games for the Lightning including Anthony Cirelli, Guentzel, Hagel—who earned his 200th career assist—and Brayden Point, who finished with two assists in his 700th NHL game.

“I think we just got back to our game a little bit,” Hagel said. “Obviously, we should be a little better. By no means was it perfect in any way, but that's the reality of getting out of something like this. I think there's still gonna be some bumps and bruises before it turns perfect. That's a right step, but again we’ve got a big test tomorrow and we’ve got to be a little bit better.”

Benjamin’s Three Stars:

1. Nikita Kucherov, TBL (4 assists)
2. Corey Perry, TBL (Game-winning goal)
3. Jake Guentzel, TBL (Goal, assist)

Special teams the difference Sunday in Buffalo

With the Atlantic Division lead up for grabs on Sunday in Buffalo, the Lightning overcame two separate three-goal deficits but ultimately lost due to an off night on special teams.

Physicality was featured by both benches from the opening faceoff as the teams combined for 100 penalty minutes, and the Sabres took advantage to grab leads of 3-0 and then 4-1.

Tampa Bay scored five straight goals to take a 5-4 lead, but Buffalo again responded before winning the game with 4:17 remaining on Josh Doan’s second power-play goal of the game. 

The Sabres scored four power-play goals and one while shorthanded in the 8-7 game.

“The bottom line is we gave up five special team goals,” Cooper said. “We gave up four power-play goals and a shorty. That was the game…The fact that we gave up those special team goals, that’s the part I’m a little irked about, so we have to shore that up, for sure.”

Despite the Lightning killing off a two-minute 5-on-3 chance for the Sabres in the first period, another look on the man advantage gave Buffalo the lead.

Doan opened the scoring, skating along the goal line before slipping a shot nearside past the left post 8:26 into the game. The Sabres then claimed a 3-0 lead with power-play goals 2:55 apart from Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch in the second period.

Perry got Tampa Bay going 7:55 into the middle frame, sneaking to the net after a pass by Kucherov and roofing a shot past Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Perry’s second goal in as many games.

Perry became the third player in team history to score in each of their next two games with the team after being acquired in a trade, joining Anthony Duclair (March 2024) and Chris Joseph (November 1993).

Despite Alex Tuch scoring on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Sabres another three-goal lead, Tampa Bay stormed back to tie the game before the end of the second period.

"I think it's a playoff game. Obviously there's a lot of things we can tidy up, but I think we got better as a team today in some different aspects,” Hagel said. “We came together as one. This is the type of team I want in this dressing room. Obviously eight goals, that's easy to clean up for us. But I think all of us can leave here knowing we have a good team in here.”

Kucherov started the comeback on the power play, sending a shot from the top of the setup that deflected in off a Sabres’ skate near the net with 7:34 left in the second frame. Former Sabre Zemgus Girgensons cut the deficit to 4-3, firing a shot into the top right corner of the net from the left hashmark.

Defenseman JJ Moser tied the score with 2:23 left in the second, shooting from the hashmarks following a takeaway and setup by forward Conor Geekie.

“The way we played, the attitude we played with,” Moser said of what made the comeback possible. “It was just the trust we had that if we do enough of the right little things that eventually it’s going to turn around. It’s just that patience and that trust in our game that eventually we’re going to get the bounces we need.”

The Lightning took advantage of the momentum, taking their first lead of the night just 59 seconds into the third period on a one-timer by Kucherov in the right circle that made it 5-4.

Buffalo then put the puck in their own net after Brayden Point put his stick on a chance in the slot for a 6-4 Lightning lead, and the Sabres got a goal from Sam Carrick to stop the Lightning scoring onslaught 26 seconds later.

Hagel’s 30th goal of the season made it 7-5 for Tampa Bay, but Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin scored on a deke-and-shoot move near the net and Zucker got loose for a breakaway goal to tie the game 7-7.

Doan buried a rebound off the goalpost late for the game-winning goal on the power play with under five minutes remaining.

“Obviously we’ve been the kind of team that’s done that all year (come back) and the kind of team that’s finished it. Those are things we can clean up. We’ve obviously got to be better, eight goals is unacceptable,” Hagel said. 

“I think every guy in this dressing room can say the same, I think every guy on their side can say the exact same thing, too. You don’t see these every day, but one thing we can learn from this is we know we’ve got a team, a big group of one in here and everyone will stick up for each other. We have a really good hockey team and we’ve just got to get better, clean it up.”

Kucherov joined Moser and Darren Raddysh with three-point nights to lead the Lightning on offense.

Benjamin’s Three Stars:

1. Josh Doan, BUF (2 goals, game-winning goal)
2. Tage Thompson, BUF (4 assists)
3. JJ Moser, TBL (Goal, 2 assists)