Alex Killorn Brings Home Victory For The Tampa Bay Lightning In Return

Tampa Bay Lightning center Alex Killorn scored his first goal of the season to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Buffalo Sabres in his first game back from injury.

The Tampa Bay Lightning struggled in the first two periods of play, but a late Power Play goal from Tampa Bay Lightning center Alex Killorn would bring home the victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning in his first game back on the ice since his injury on October 13^th.

When you take a look at the schedule and see that your favorite team is playing the Buffalo Sabres, the average fan thinks to themselves “Oh, it’s just the Sabres. We’ve got this one in the bag.” Unfortunately, that saying doesn’t quite apply anymore as the Tampa Bay Lightning had to give it everything they had in order to bring home the victory on Saturday night against the Sabres.

In the first period of play, the Sabres had the Lightning against the wall in terms of Shots on Goal. In 20 minutes of play, the Sabres had racked up 16 shots on goal while the Lightning had posted a mere three. We don’t know about you, but that is not the offensively dominant team we are used to seeing on the ice.

Adding insult to injury, the Buffalo Sabres were able to strike first blood with just under four minutes left in the first period. Sabres center Sam Reinhart would find his way past Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop to give the Sabres the early lead.

It wasn’t until the second period of play when the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to wake up and start making Sabres goaltender Chad Johnson work for his Save Percentage. The Lightning gained some ground in the Shots on Goal arena. The Bolts also gained ground in an area much more important, the scoreboard.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Vladislav Namestnikov scored his second goal of the season to tie the game for the Lightning. The 22 year old Russian center’s goal seemed to breathe new life, not only into the players, but the 19,000+ Lightning fans filling the seats in the Amalie Arena.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning returned to the ice for the third period, they knew they had to do something if they had any chance of ending this game in regulation and staying true to the standard they set for themselves last season, to never lose more than two games in a row. The Lightning fought for every inch they could get, but they simply couldn’t seem to pull the trigger.

It wasn’t until the Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves on a Power Play, of all things, they were able to find their second win and pull the trigger on another goal. As Sabres defenseman Cody Franson sat idly in the penalty box for Interference against Alex Killorn, it seemed as if the Lightning would be doomed to yet another failed power play opportunity. The seconds continued to tick off the clock until finally…it happened.

Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat continued to play the puck around the Sabres net. Johnson would make an attempt on the net that would be turned away by Johnson. Amid the chaos, Johnson was able to dig for the rebound and tip the puck out the Alex Killorn, who had much more room to maneuver. Killorn quickly lined up his shot and sent the puck sailing past Johnson to give the Lightning their first, and most important, lead of the evening.

While the game winning goal may have been made off of the Power Play, the Lightning still struggled in that particular area. Out of the four opportunities presented to the Bolts tonight with the man advantage, the game winning goal was the only one that was able to pierce the defenses of Chad Johnson.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to continue to have a successful season, which we all know they do, they are going to have to find a solution to their issues on special teams. The Bolts have all the firepower they need to be one of the most offensively dominant teams in the National Hockey League, but their special teams are tanking their numbers seemingly each and every night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have plenty of reasons to cheer tonight, especially after bringing home a win, but the one that sticks out in everyone’s mind is the record breaking night had by Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. The six foot seven inch tall netminder stopped 31 of the 32 shots brought against him tonight, giving him a Save Percentage of .969.

In addition to that, tonight’s victory over the Buffalo Sabres was Ben Bishop’s 84^th career win as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bishop has now passed Stanley Cup winning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin as the goaltender with the most wins in Tampa Bay Lightning franchise history. Interestingly enough, Bishop was able to accomplish this feat in 52 games less than Khabibulin.

This speaks volumes about what having a solid goaltender between the pipes means for a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning. While Bishop may have his faults, as does even the most elite goaltenders in the National Hockey League, Bishop is certainly one of the most valuable assets to have been acquired during Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman’s time here in Tampa Bay.

So far this season, the Lightning has been victorious in both encounters they’ve had with the Sabres thus far. These two Atlantic Division rivals will meet two more times before the season comes to a close. Their next meeting will be on November 5^th at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo followed by a trip home to the Amalie Arena on November 10^th for the final rematch of the season.

Next up for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bolts head out on the road once again as they travel to the Bridgestone Arena to go one on one with Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. EST. Are you ready to Be The Thunder for your Tampa Bay Lightning as they head deep into Predators territory? We know we are!

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