While it’s disappointing that the Lightning surrendered a two-goal lead, their ability to earn a point in this circumstance is a silver lining.
The Colorado-Utah back-to-back is a challenging one. Last season, the Mammoth went 8-2-1 against opponents that had played in Colorado the night before.
There’s no doubt that the Lightning had a better first half of the game than second. For the most part, they enjoyed the run of play over the first 30 minutes and built a 4-2 advantage. Just past the halfway point of the game, however, momentum switched. The Mammoth controlled the final period and a half, rallying to tie before the second period ended. If not for the play of Dennis Hildeby in the third, the Lightning easily could have come away with zero points.
During those first 30 minutes, however, the Lightning did plenty well. They netted three first-period goals, including a Brayden Point power-play goal on which Nikita Kucherov became the franchise’s all-time leader in points. A highlight-reel tally from Conor Geekie five and a half minutes into the second provided the Lightning with a 4-2 lead.
But during the second half of the frame, the Lightning struggled with their puck play just as the Mammoth raised their level. Utah repeatedly attacked the Tampa Bay defensive zone, something the Mammoth had managed to do only intermittently in the opening period and a half.
The Mammoth got rewarded with goals from Anders Lee and Dmitri Simashev (his first in the NHL) before the period ended. It was 4-4 entering the third.
In the third, the Lightning had to deal with the loss of Zemgus Girgensons and played the rest of the game with 11 forwards. Hildeby was credited with nine saves in the final frame—the same as Karel Vejmelka—but his stops were far more challenging. He denied a Barrett Heyton in-alone chance moments before Heyton had a goal disallowed due to Lee’s interference on Hildeby. Then, in the closing moments of the third, Hildeby stopped Clayton Keller’s point-blank shot from the slot after the Lightning committed an unforced d-zone turnover.
Simashev celebrated a memorable night by finishing off a two-on-one rush in overtime, sending the fans at the Delta Center home with a smile.
But the Lightning deserve credit for grinding out a road point, one that helped them finish the difficult road trip with a 1-1-1 record.
Now they’ll have several days to get ready for their next game, which takes place on Thursday at home against Winnipeg.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Dmitri Simashev — Mammoth. First two NHL goals. GWG in OT.
- Vincent Trocheck — Mammoth. Two assists. 17-6 on faceoffs.
- Dennis Hildeby — Lightning. Helped Lightning earn a road point.
