The Tampa Bay Lightning beat Winnipeg by a score of 1-0 before a sellout crowd of 19,204 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The Lightning benefited from a return to form by goaltender Dwayne Roloson as he stopped 28 shots on his way to recording his first shutout of the season. Winnipeg netminder Ondrej Pavelec was nearly as impressive himself, stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced.
A tightly played but wide-open game found the teams in a scoreless tie after the first period. Vincent Lecavalier notched the only goal of the game on the power play with assists from Steven Stamkos and Eric Brewer.
The Lightning continued a recent trend of playing well at home, having given up no more than one goal in the last three games combined. The penalty kill remained effective, successfully killing off two shorthanded situations. Opponents haven’t scored a power play goal against the Lightning since the loss to the
on October 17th.
The story of the night, though was Roloson. After a rough start to the season, many were questioning what the veteran goalie had left and whether he was still a viable option for a team with justifiably high expectations. Not everyone was surprised by his effort tonight though…
“He bounced back. Absolutely no surprise. I knew he was going to bounce back. It sounds like second guessing but I’ve said it before…I’m not surprised at all.” – Guy Boucher
Game notes:
- The Lightning have been held scoreless in the first period five times this season. They have held opponents scoreless in the first four times.
- Tonight was Tampa Bay Fights Cancer Night, in conjunction with The Yerrid Foundation and part of NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. This was the 12th consecutive year the organizations have teamed up to host the event and the Lightning have never lost on nights when this promotion takes place.
- As part of Tampa Bay Fights Cancer Night, goaltender Dwayne Roloson used a pink stick
- The Florida Panthers are the only team to score on the power play against the Lightning.
- The Tesla coils were in full effect for the first time tonight, used during pregame festivities, after the Lightning goal and as part of the postgame victory celebration.
- With the assist of Lecavalier’s power play goal in the second, Steven Stamkos extended his point streak to six games, recording seven over that span.
- Tonight’s Lightning Community Hero was Vicki Sokolik. As founder and Executive Director of Starting Right, Now, Sokolik assists the homeless by establishing stable home environments and parental employment. The organization also provides opportunities for younger people through continued education and fostering mentor relationships, all with the intent of permanentkly solving problems rather than providing temporary quick fixes. /
