The Triplets Return to Form, Tampa Bay Lightning Drubs Dallas

By Angelo Resciniti | Feb 6, 2015

“Guess who just got back today
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven’t changed that much to say
But man, I still think them cats are crazy”

from “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy

The boys are back!

Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat, the darlings of December, two-thirds of the finalist sheet for NHL “rookie of the year” just a season past, the young crazy cats of this still upstart Tampa Bay Lightning team, the once and future Triplets now that TKO has gone asunder, had been away from the score sheets for just a little while.

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Guess who just got back today, in a big, big way?

Shaking off the slump that had dogged the line for much of January, the Triplets accounted for all three goals in a third period onslaught that led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-3 victory over the offense-minded and strong-skating Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Arena in Big D on Thursday night.

Tyler Johnson twice scored the go-ahead goal, the latter standing up as the eventual game-winner, Nikita Kucherov pick up an empty-netter — his first goal this calendar year after going oh-for-January — for insurance, and Ondrej Palat assisted on the last two scores for the 100th and 101st points of his burgeoning NHL career to lead the Bolts to a satisfying victory.

The angry and motivated Lightning thus atoned for a stomach-churning loss in overtime to St. Louis on Tuesday night, snapped a four-game road winless streak, and returned from a quick two-game road jaunt with three of a possible four points, a point each for the Triplets to savor.

The Bolts flew out of Dallas with a 33-15-5 record and 71 points, still atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference by two points over resurgent Detroit and four points over the Montreal Canadiens and soon-to-be-faced New York Islanders. Tampa Bay improved its still-scary road record onto the positive side, 12-11-4, with more work to be done away from Amalie Arena.

While the Triplets cemented the victory with their scoring antics in the third period, it was rookie goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, playing in only his 5th game in the NHL, who kept the Lightning in contention through two topsy-turvy periods of play.

The Bolts, still testy after giving away the farm in St. Louis, began the game like they were going to blow the Stars out of the sky, scoring on their first two shots of the first period to take an early 2-0 lead.

Defenseman Mark Barberio, improving with every start, launched a shot from the left point that was tipped by forward Ryan Callahan and then tipped again by forward Steven Stamkos into the net for the first goal 3:11. The goal was the 28th of the season for the captain, pulling Stamkos into a tie for third place in the Rocket Richard race with Dallas phenom Tyler Seguin, who was held off the scoreboard Thursday.

Just minutes later, after missing out on a short-handed opportunity during one of Dallas’ seemingly endless gifts of power play chances in the first two periods, defenseman Victor Hedman took a pass from Stamkos, retrieved the puck after his first shot was blocked, and then laced a puck through a screened Kari Lehtonen and into the ropes. The Bolts led, 2-0, just 6:42 into the game. Two shots, two goals.

Then it was Vasilevskiy time. He twice stopped the crafty Seguin close in to keep the score at 2-0 at the end of the first. Then he frustrated Lightning-killer Jason Spezza on a 4-on-4 chance early in the second.

But the buzzing Stars made some of their 17 second-period shots count. Rookie John Klingberg, showing incredible patience waiting for former Stars captain Brenden Morrow to slide past him on a block attempt, cut the Lightning lead to 2-1. Just 15 seconds later Dallas unleashed a 3-on-1 rush after Andrej Sustr attempted to hold in a puck — and missed — that resulted in the tying goal by Alex Goligoski. Dallas held a 28-13 advantage in shots as the second frame ended at 2-2.

The Bolts came out in the third sans veteran and very effective blueliner Jason Garrison, who suffered a lower body injury and missed the rest of the game. That left the Lightning with only two experienced defensemen — Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman — with young guys Luke Witkowski (playing in only his fourth NHL game), Barberio, and Sustr. Coach Jon Cooper again called on forward Brian Boyle to take some shifts on defense, a move that quickly paid dividends for the Bolts.

(Quick aside: With Garrison joining fellow defensive starters Radko Gudas and Matt Carle on the injury list, even for a game or two even though the extent of Garrison’s hurt has not been revealed, the Bolts are REALLY thin on defense moving forward. The earlier trade of steady defenseman Eric Brewer to Anaheim looms even larger now. Rookie Nikita Nesterov is the next man up. Is it finally time for Steve Yzerman to make a trade for a defensive veteran?)

The Lightning finally got a couple of power play chances early in the third and the two teams exchanged 5-0 flurries in shots on goal, but the score remained at 2-2.

And then them wild-eyed boys that had been away took over the game.

The Triplets were back!

Nikita Kucherov unfurled a brilliant cross-ice pass to Tyler Johnson, whose one-timer from the right circle made it 3-2 with 8:33 left.

A minute or so later Trevor Daley steamed down the left side and rattled a shot off Witkowski and the post to tie it at 3-3.

Step up defenseman Brian Boyle, who lifted a long shot from the left point. Johnson, playing in tight, tipped the puck past Lehtonen for a 4-3 lead that stood up as the game-winner.

And then, with just over a minute left, Ondrej Palat fed Nikita Kucherov for the empty-netter that made it the final 5-3 score. Heroics over, the boys showed they haven’t changed that much to say, especially now that they were back in town.

Vasilevskiy finished with 33 saves in 36 shots to grow his record to 4-1. His goals against average rose to all of 2.01 and his save percentage “fell” to a still-jaw-dropping .932 as he held the Stars to below their scoring average.

Rookie Luke Witkowski, expected to add a physical presence for the Bolts, also stepped up, going chin-to-chin with Dallas tough guy Antoine Roussel in the second period. Both players were sent off for rather strange delay of game penalties.

So while the kids all showed they were all right, it was the Triplets who stole the show.

And come Saturday night, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings sashaying into Tampa, please excuse Bolts fans if they sing a happy chorus or two of “The Boys Are Back in Town Again.” Them cats are just crazy like that.

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