The Lightning rebounded from a rough first period—and a 2-0 deficit—to finish their challenging three-game road trip with a win and collect four out of a possible six points.
The Golden Knights netted those two first-period goals, but they could have had more. They posted 15 shots on net and generated numerous scoring chances. Ivan Barbashev recorded both tallies. The first came after an unforced Tampa Bay icing. Jack Eichel won the ensuing offensive-zone faceoff, and soon after, the puck came to Noah Hanafin at the left point. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped the Hanafin shot, but Barbashev collected the rebound at the bottom of the right circle and backhanded it in at 7:25. The Golden Knights scored their second goal off the rush. Eichel and Mitch Marner completed a give-and-go passing sequence as they moved the puck down low in the Lightning end. Marner centered the puck to Barbashev, who got open into the low slot. He hammered a one-timer on net. Vasilevskiy stopped most of the shot, but the puck dribbled across the goal line before Ryan McDonagh could corral it.
Vasilevskiy made those 13 other first-period saves to keep the deficit within striking distance. But it was a lopsided frame. The Lightning were not only loose defensively, but they also struggled to generate an attack in the offensive zone. Execution was a problem—the Lightning had trouble making tape-to-tape passes. This allowed Vegas to disrupt plays all over the ice. The Lightning posted only three shots on goal in the first.
The Lightning needed a spark to turn their fortunes around, and it was the Dominic James, Gage Goncalves, and Oliver Bjorkstrand line that provided it. On the opening shift of the second period, they cut the deficit in half. Bjorkstrand pressured Hanafin behind the Vegas net, leading to a turnover. The puck came to James near the left corner. He immediately passed it to Goncalves, who was open in the low slot, and Goncalves roofed the puck into the top of the net at :36. It was James’ first NHL point and Goncalves’ first goal of the season.
On their next shift, they tied the game. Bjrokstrand pursued a puck into the offensive zone and took it to the bottom of the right circle. He jammed a shot on net. Carl Lindbom made the save but was out of position for the rebound. Goncalves was at the top of the crease but had his stick tied up, so the puck slid to the low slot. James skated to it and slammed it into a vacated net at 3:28. After seven games of generating scoring chances and not getting rewarded, James recorded his first NHL goal.
The Lightning then used two second-period power plays to firmly grab momentum. While they didn’t score on either chance, they produced several good looks. In all, they posted seven shots on goal during the two PPs and carried play for the rest of the period. The second-period SOG stats were almost a mirror-opposite of the first. The Lightning outshot Vegas, 15-4.
The teams combined for three goals in the opening 4:12 of the third. Following a too many men on the ice penalty on Vegas, the Lightning used a new-look power-play unit. Darren Raddysh and Bjorkstrand joined Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Jake Guentzel. With Kucherov back at the right circle, the Lightning zipped the puck around the offensive zone for most of the two minutes. The top unit stayed out for the entire power play. As it ended, Bjorkstrand wired a cross-ice pass to Kucherov, who one-timed it in at 2:48, one second after the power play ended.
Vegas tied it on the next shift, as Marner’s left point shot deflected off Victor Hedman’s stick and caromed past Vasilevskiy at 3:37. But the Lightning got the lead back 35 seconds later. James broke up a Vegas clearing attempt and threw the puck towards the net. It skipped past Brandon Saad to Brandon Hagel in the slot, and Hagel snapped it in at 4:12.
The Golden Knights had a terrific chance to tie the game when Vasilevskiy was assessed a four-minute high-sticking double minor. But the Lightning navigated through both kills and also survived a tough shift as the second penalty ended. Vegas had four SOG and seven attempts during that even-strength sequence, but the Lightning held on to their lead.
Soon after, James drew a tripping minor on Jeremy Lauzon, and the Lightning cashed in on the ensuing power play. Hagel and Hedman came out for the second half of the man advantage and earned assists on Kucherov’s second goal. He fired a right-circle shot over the stick of Lindbom at 14:13.
The Golden Knights received one final power play at 15:15 but were held without a shot—Erik Cernak and J.J. Moser each had an important block during the kill.
Hagel finished the scoring with an empty-netter in the game’s final minute.
After the subpar start, the Lightning might not have been able to reverse the contest’s narrative. But the James line and the power play helped them rally for a come-from-behind win.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Dominic James — Lightning. First NHL points. Goal and two assists.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 29 saves.
- Oliver Bjorkstrand — Lightning. Two assists.
