Still, the Lightning dominated play for much of the night. They owned the vast majority of the possession through three periods and held a large advantage in shots, attempts, and scoring chances. So it wasn't a poor outing. But they lost the special teams battle and were unable to tack on a fourth goal after netting three in the opening frame.
In that first period, the Lightning beat Kappo Kahkanen three times to build a two-goal edge. They fired 17 shots on net and limited the Sharks to just 11 total shot attempts. Brayden Point, who was the most electrifying player on the ice for either team, netted two of the three Tampa Bay goals. The Sharks' lone tally came on the power play, directly off a face-off win to begin the man advantage.
In the second period, the Lightning had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead. After receiving two power play chances in the first (converting on the second of those), they got three more in the middle stanza. Not only did the Lightning fail to score on any of them, they didn't register a single shot on net. There were a few close calls, including Point hitting the post and Ross Colton missing high on a Grade-A look. But with the Sharks on the ropes, the Lightning were unable to put the visitors down by three.
Instead, the score remained 3-1. And just over a minute after the Lightning's third man advantage of the period ended, the Sharks went on a power play themselves. Similar to their first-period goal, they scored right off the face-off. Again, it was a one-goal game.
Thirty-eight seconds later, the Lightning thought they had re-established a two-goal lead. Point made a highlight-reel move in cutting to the middle of the ice and setting up Steven Stamkos for a one-timer into the San Jose net. But the goal was overturned after a successful offside challenge from the Sharks.
After managing to hang around for much of the game, the Sharks found themselves within striking distance through 40 minutes. They tied the game early in the third when Scott Harrington's point shot deflected off Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's stick and into the top of the net at 3:08.
The Lightning controlled most of the action for the rest of the period, but couldn't break the tie. Kahkonen made 15 third-period saves and Point hit another post. With just over a minute remaining, Timo Meier got loose on a breakaway, but his shot hit the top of the crossbar and deflected out of play.
Meier eventually did score at 2:19 of OT when Erik Karlsson delivered a pass to him at the back post. But because the winning goal came in overtime, the Lightning banked a point.
Special teams play was a key element to San Jose's comeback. The Sharks went 2-3 on the PP while the Lightning finished 1-6. And after netting three in the first, the Lightning were snake-bitten the rest of the way. During the second, third, and overtime periods, the Lightning held a shot attempt advantage of 52-29. But they were outscored, 3-0.
Following the back-to-back, the Lightning will have the day off on Wednesday. Then they'll face the Avalanche on Thursday in the first meeting between the teams since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Timo Meier - Sharks. Two goals and assist.
2. Erik Karlsson - Sharks. Goal and two asssists.
3. Brayden Point - Lightning. Two goals.
