Mishkin's Extra Shift: Lightning 3, Stars 1

Thanks to an outstanding goaltending performance from Andrei Vasilevskiy, a strong third-period showing, and a dramatic goal in the final minute of regulation, the Lightning began their challenging four-game road trip with a victory.

The third period certainly was the Lightning's best, but they endured tough sledding throughout much of the opening 40 minutes. The Stars gained momentum from a couple of early power play chances and - for the most part - didn't cede it until the end of the second period. They enjoyed the majority of the possession time and the Lightning were kept back on their heels. But Vasilevskiy was brilliant. The only shot to beat him came on a three-on-one Dallas rush. During the first two periods, he made 23 saves, including first-period point blank rebound save on Jani Hakanpaa and a second-period breakaway stop on Roope Hintz.
The Lightning did manage to score the game's first goal. The sequence began with a Vasilevskiy save on Joe Pavelski's snap shot from the left circle. Then Alex Killorn chipped the puck to center ice, where Brandon Hagel countered on a rush with Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli outraced defenseman Esa Lindell into the Dallas end, collected the lead feed from Hagel, and finished a backhand deke past Scott Wedgewood.
But that goal didn't especially help the Lightning's overall game. Instead, they yielded the three-on-one rush to the Stars about two minutes later and Jamie Benn tied the game.
Still, it was a 1-1 game through two periods. Over the past several weeks, the Lightning have dropped some games on the road in regulation when they entered the third period tied. It didn't happen in this one. The Lightning were much more crisp in their execution in the third period and alleviated much of the pressure they had been under earlier in the game.
Late in the second and into the third, Jon Cooper swapped Steven Stamkos and Hagel. Stamkos joined Killorn and Cirelli while Hagel was reunited with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, his linemates for much of this season. The move coincided with the Lightning's improved play.
In the final frame, the Lightning held Dallas to just five shots. Admittedly, one of those was a breakaway for Denis Gurianov (Vasilevskiy stopped the attempt), but the Lightning greatly limited the number of Dallas looks. Coming out of the final TV timeout of the period, Tampa Bay had an offensive zone face-off. From that point until the end of the game, the Lightning dominated possession. They began with the Point line. Next up was the line of Ross Colton, Corey Perry, and Vlad Namesntikov, followed by the Cirelli line. The best the Stars could manage was to clear the zone and get a line change before the Lightning brought the puck back into the Dallas end. With less than a minute remaining, Killorn set up Victor Hedman at the left circle. Hedman skated behind the net and threw the puck in front, where Cirelli won position and backhanded it in at 19:16. On the goal, Hedman earned his 500th career assist.
Cirelli won the ensuing center ice face-off and the Lightning spent more time in the offensive zone, preventing the Stars from pulling Wedgewood for an extra attacker. That finally happened as the clock was winding down and the Stars moved the puck into the Lightning's end. But it was quickly cleared - Cirelli got the puck to Kucherov at center ice and he set up Hagel for an empty-netter just before the final buzzer.
The statistical shift in the third period was stark. After being outshot 24-16 through two periods and out-attempted 51-35, the Lightning outshot Dallas, 15-5 in the third and held a 27-17 shot advantage. They also won 13 of 22 face-offs after having lost 19 of 33 draws during the first and second.
It was an impressive finish to the end of the game and it allowed the Lightning to start the trip with a win.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy - Lightning. 28 saves.
2. Anthony Cirelli - Lightning. Two goals and assist.
3. Brandon Hagel - Lightning. Goal and assist.