This could have been a scheduled loss for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They were playing their second game in less than 24 hours. Their prior game had gone to overtime and they were at the end of a long road trip. Their opponent, the Anaheim Ducks, are struggling and it would be hard to manufacture the intensity against a team they only see twice a season. Then, two of their best players in Brayden Point and Victor Hedman, were out of the line-up with injuries. Yet, the Lightning found a way to dig out two points as Anthony Cirelli scored in overtime to give them a 3-2 victory as the Bolts end their five-game road trip with nine out of ten points.
Even if their competition isn’t having their best season, the Ducks are still a NHL team with pride and they smelled a little blood in the water. Having not played since Thursday, they were also well rested. Some early pressure forced Lightning netminder Jonas Johansson, who finished with 30 saves, to be on his game early as he had to make some sharp saves against wunderkind Leo Carlsson.
JoJo was sharp for a goalie who hadn’t seen the ice in about a month and was a big reason why the Lightning weren’t down by more than a goal after 20 minutes. They were, however, down a goal thanks to Ross Johnston’s first goal in two years. The big forward was able to outmuscle Matt Dumba in the slot and redirected a pass from Jakob Silfverberg past Johansson.
Ross Johnston (Jakob Silfverberg, Ben Meyers) 1-0 Anaheim
Already shorthanded, the Lightning had a bit of a worry when old friend Alex Killorn planted Calvin de Haan into the boards with a hit from behind. Killorn was whistled for boarding, but the power play didn’t last long due to a Darren Raddysh penalty.
While the Bolts were credited with just five shots on net for the period, they did finish the opening frame with a little pressure as they had the last six shot attempts before the whistle.
The positive vibes continued into the second period as the Tyler Motte line had a nice long sustained shift in the zone to kick things off. They may not have scored, but it was one of those shifts where they made Anaheim work way too hard for their liking.
Anaheim did have a major chance to extend their lead as back-to-back penalties by Brandon Hagel and Motte led to a lengthy 5-on-3 for the Ducks. Despite being down two skaters, the Lightning penalty killers were aggressive on Anaheim’s entries and didn’t allow the Ducks to get set up. Then as the penalty was expiring, Johansson was solid, making several key saves. In fact, he had an extremely strong period as he stopped all 12 shots he faced.
If momentum is a thing, then the Lightning had it on their side following their penalty kill. Goals are definitely a thing, and thanks to Anthony Duclair, the Lightning had one of those. A strong forecheck kept the puck in the zone and the Ducks got caught puck-watching a bit. That allowed Duclair to find some open space in the right circle and when the puck came to him, he was able to shoot it through Dostal for his fifth goal as a Bolt.
Anthony Duclair (Nick Perbix) 1-1
The Bolts kept grinding away and it was the king of the grinders, Luke Glendening, who gave them a lead. He was in the right spot at the right time to gather in a rebound off of an Austin Watson shot and he calmly backhanded it past Dostal for his tenth goal of the season.
Luke Glendening (Austin Watson, Tanner Jeannot) 2-1 Tampa Bay
With Heddy and Pointer out of the line-up, this was the type of period the Lightning needed. They defended pretty well (only 2 high-danger chances allowed despite a couple of power plays for Anaheim) and a goal from the fourth line.
The Lightning’s third-period defense of their lead did not last long into the final frame. Anaheim controlled the puck in their own zone and broke out cleanly with numbers. Both Steven Stamkos and Duclair had circled down low behind the Ducks’ net so they were out of the play and it led to Nick Perbix having to defend two skaters.
He chose a poor time to lose an edge and as he sprawled along the ice, Pavel Mintyukov beat Johansson cleanly.
Pavel Mintyukov (Max Jones, Brett Leason) 2-2
At the other end, Lukas Dostal, who had 25 saves, was feeling it. He made a nice poke check on a hard-charging Anthony Duclair, and then smothered a follow-up shot by Nick Paul. A few minutes later he stopped Nikita Kucherov on a rush chance and then made his best save of the game on a quick snap shot from Anthony Cirelli in close.
The period closed with neither team able to dent the scoresheet. Both teams deserved the point if we’re being honest.
Much like Saturday night, the overtime session didn’t last long. This time it was the Lightning that found a way to end it. Off of a broken play in the Lightning zone, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel had a two-on-zero rush. Cirelli made the early pass and Hagel waited just long enough to send it back to his former roommate and Cirelli put it past Dostal for the game-winning goal.
Anthony Cirelli (Brandon Hagel) 3-2 Tampa Bay
