This game pitted the top two offensive teams in the league. But the Lightning and Caps also own two of the best defensive rankings. The Caps entered the game tied for third in goals allowed per game. The Lightning were sixth. In this contest, the defenses outperformed the offenses. Scoring chances were hard to come by, and the clubs combined for just 41 total shots on goal. Fortunately for the Lightning, they converted on a first-period power-play chance and were able to play with a lead for the rest of the game.
While it’s true that neither team managed to generate many Grade-A scoring chances, each club created some looks. In the first period, the Lightning had more of them than the Caps. Logan Thompson, making his first-ever appearance against Tampa Bay, turned aside multiple close-range attempts. The Lightning received three power plays in the first and posted five of their 10 first-period shots while on those man advantages. During their first two power-play chances, the Lightning used a top unit of Point, Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Victor Hedman. For the third opportunity, however, they switched to the ‘righty’ unit they’d employed earlier this season. Darren Raddysh and Mitchell Chaffee joined Point, Kucherov, and Guentzel. Previously, Point was at the left circle with Chaffee in the bumper. But in this game, the Lightning swapped the positioning of Point and Chaffee. The move worked. Following a Thompson save on Brayden Point’s wrister from the slot, Chaffee snapped in the rebound from the left circle at 17:11.
The first period also featured a successful coach’s challenge from Jon Cooper. Replays showed Jakob Chychrun used a high stick to knock down Nick Paul’s clearing attempt moments before Chychrun shot the puck into the net.
In the second period, scoring looks remained limited. In this frame, the Caps were the more dangerous team. Still, the Lightning maintained their lead. They successfully killed two penalties (including one that carried over from the late stages of the first).
Third-period shots and attempts favored Washington. The Caps outshot the Lightning, 8-3, and held an attempt advantage of 28-7. The ice was never tilted, however. Instead, the Lightning managed the third period well. They cleared pucks from the defensive zone and forced them deep into the Washington end. The Caps had a difficult time building momentum in the frame. Instead, the best they could manage were a few isolated looks. One of those came early in the period — Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped an in-alone chance from Aliaksei Protas. Less than a minute later, the Lightning extended their lead. Off the rush, Nick Paul pulled up at the right circle and dropped a pass to Gage Goncalves in the high slot. Goncalves fired a high shot over Thompson’s glove at 6:08.
The Caps got on the board with 3:59 remaining. At the left point, Matt Roy intercepted a clearing attempt and skated toward the high slot. He fumbled the puck, but it caromed to Alex Ovechkin at the hashmarks. He cranked it past Vasilevskiy, cutting the deficit to one. The Caps wouldn’t tie the game, however. Ryan McDonagh blocked two Ovechkin attempts down the stretch, including one with Thompson on the bench for an extra attacker. Soon after, Brandon Hagel sealed the win with an empty-netter.
The Lightning won this game by delivering a high-level defensive performance. They held the Caps to just 22 shots and kept the dangerous Washington power play off the board. Getting a power-play goal themselves was a big key. As was the Goncalves tally, which turned out to be the game-winner. And, of course, Vasilevskiy gave his team another outstanding outing by producing timely saves throughout the contest.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 21 saves.
- Ryan McDonagh — Lightning.
- Erik Cernak — Lightning.
