One reason why the Lightning are near the top of the NHL standings is that they’ve played excellent defensive hockey throughout the season. Occasionally, however, they’ve had some sub-par outings, and this contest against the Hurricanes was one of them. But the Lightning, playing the second half of a back-to-back against a rested opponent, twice rallied from deficits, including a 3-0 hole they dug themselves early in the contest. But a third-period power-play goal from Sebastian Aho put them down once more, and on tired legs, they were unable to rally for a third time.
The Hurricanes tallied three goals off the rush in the opening 6:41 of the game. The second and third of those came after the Lightning turned the puck over and yielded an odd-man chance. But as the first period progressed, the Lightning began generating looks themselves. They eventually cashed in when Brandon Hagel finished a shot from the slot at 16:30. Just thirty-five seconds later, Nikita Kucherov rifled a shot from the right circle over the glove of Brandon Bussi, cutting the Carolina lead to 3-2.
At 1:58 of the second, Dominic James tied the game off the rush with an open look from the left circle. Following a Seth Jarvis goal at 7:21 that came at the end of an extended o-zone shift for Carolina, the Lightning evened the score again. Brayden Point won an offensive-zone faceoff to start a power play. Darren Raddysh hurried a pass to Jake Guentzel in the right corner, and Guentzel quickly fed Point in the slot. Point snapped it past Bussi at 14:02.
The opening 40 minutes featured wide-open hockey. Both teams made defensive mistakes. Both teams generated scoring chances. Both teams scored goals. That dynamic changed in the third, which featured fewer opportunities (especially for the Lightning). After Tampa Bay failed to score on an early power play in the frame, the Hurricanes went on a man advantage at 6:43. It took them only 34 seconds to regain the lead. A failed Lightning clear helped Carolina keep possession in the offensive zone, and moments later, Aho fired a right-circle knuckle-puck shot that fluttered into the top of the net at 7:17.
As compared to the first two periods, the Lightning had a difficult time sustaining offensive-zone pressure in the third. They pulled goaltender Jonas Johansson with under three minutes left, but they were unable to tie the game. They did prevent Carolina from scoring an empty-net goal in the final minute, as several skaters “played goalie” to keep the puck out. In the end, however, the Lightning ran out of gas and ran out of time.
It was just their second regulation loss in the last 23 games. They’ll look to get back in the win column when they host Buffalo on Saturday in their final game of the month. It’ll also be their last home game before starting a four-game road trip.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Pat Maroon):
- Logan Stankoven — Hurricanes. Goal and assist on birthday.
- Taylor Hall — Hurricanes. Goal and assist.
- Dominic James — Lightning. Goal.
