The Lightning used a quick-strike offensive attack to build a first-period multi-goal lead, one they maintained for the rest of the night. They also leaned heavily on Andrei Vasilevskiy to secure the two points. His 39 saves helped the Lightning finish the road trip with a victory.
The Rangers had far more at stake than did the Lightning. New York entered the game five points behind Montreal for the final Wildcard spot in the East. The Rangers did have a game in hand on the Canadiens, but they are running out of time to make up ground.
For much of the contest, the Rangers competed with more urgency than the Lightning. They carried play through the first 12-plus of the first period. During that time, they outshot the Lightning, 12-1. The final five shots they posted during that stretch occurred during their first power play of the game. Vasilevskiy stopped all 12 shots to keep the Rangers off the board. With 30 seconds or so left in the Tampa Bay penalty, the duo of Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli applied up-ice pressure. They also played keep-away, so the Rangers couldn’t retrieve it. Chris Kreider hooked Cirelli in the neutral zone, moments before Hagel’s shorthanded shot hit the post.
That sequence shifted the game’s momentum. After a brief four-on-four, the Lightning went on the power play themselves. In the Tampa Bay end, Oliver Bjorkstrand broke up an Adam Fox centering pass. The Lightning countered quickly. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov converted on a two-on-one rush – Kucherov scored into an open side of the net at 13:09.
On the next shift, the Lightning added another goal. Sustained offensive-zone pressure yielded a Gage Goncalves shot from the high slot. It was blocked down low, and Yanni Gourde collected the puck and slipped a backhander past Igor Shesterkin at 13:45. It was Gourde’s first goal since rejoining the Lightning – and his 11th point.
Following the ensuing center-ice faceoff, Sam Carrick cross-checked Cirelli, putting the Lightning back on the power play. Good puck movement opened up a backdoor feed from Jake Guentzel to Point. Shesterkin slid to his right and denied Point’s first shot, but he couldn’t cover the puck. Point slipped it past him on a second attempt at 14:54. It was Point’s 40th goal of the season.
The three goals came in a 1:45 span and took the wind out of New York’s sails. But only until the end of the period. The Rangers regrouped during the intermission and came out hungrily to start the second. They generated a couple of dangerous chances on the opening shift that Vasilevskiy stopped. Soon after, however, the Lightning took a penalty, and the Rangers converted. Artemi Panarin’s pass from the left circle deflected off Mika Zibanejad’s skate and into the net at 3:16.
The Rangers applied steady pressure through the rest of the second period. They finished the frame with 18 shots on goal. Four of those came during a late second-period power play. But Vasilevskiy didn’t allow the Rangers to get any closer than 3-1.
The Rangers owned most of the possession through the first 10 minutes of the third but were unable to reduce the deficit. In the second half of the third, the Rangers got into penalty trouble. Will Cuylle’s infraction at 11:06 put the Lightning on the power play for the third time. But the Rangers generated the most dangerous chance during that two-minute span as Zibanejad had a shorthanded breakaway. Vasilevskiy got enough of the shot with his glove to deflect it off the crossbar and out.
Less than a minute after that penalty ended, the Rangers took another. This time, the Lightning did well to hold the puck in the offensive zone. Victor Hedman hit the post before Guentzel set up Point again at the back post. This time, Shesterkin couldn’t get over to stop it. Point’s second power-play goal of the night came at 15:40. It was his 16th of the year, and he is now tied (along with Guentzel) for the league lead.
Down 4-1, the Rangers pulled Shestekin for an extra attacker on the next shift. Just over a minute later, Hagel sealed the win with an empty-netter.
With the victory, the Lightning moved to within two points of Toronto for the division lead. They are four points ahead of Florida. The Maple Leafs and Panthers play on Tuesday in Sunrise before the Lightning host the Leafs on Wednesday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 39 saves.
- Brayden Point — Lightning. Two goals and assist.
- Jake Guentzel — Lightning. Three assists.
