Tampa Bay Lightning Dominate The Buffalo Sabres

The Tampa Bay Lightning put on a stellar performance at the First Niagara Center tonight as they dominated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have certainly seen their fair share of offensive woes as of late, but the Lightning used the frustration of their current struggle and concentrated it into a plan of action as they dominated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

The Tampa Bay Lightning knew if they wanted to overcome the plethora of issues they have been experiencing as of late, the first thing they were going to have to do is hit the ice with the intensity the Tampa Bay Lightning fans have become accustomed to and set the pace of the game very early. This is exactly what the Lightning did as they charged the ice in the first period.

It was just 5:55 into the first period when Lightning captain Steven Stamkos would score his 7^th goal of the season to give the Tampa Bay Lightning the early lead. We may be a little bit biased here, but this was a beautiful play all around. Ondrej Palat skated circles around Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly to bring the puck into the zone. Palat would pass it back to Filppula as he skated along the boards. Stamkos set himself up in front of the net, Filppula released the pass and Stamkos sent the puck flying past Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark.

Just under six minutes later it would be Lightning center Tyler Johnson who would find the back of the net. This time, Johnson would play the puck into the zone, passing it forward to Alex Killorn. Killorn would make his way to the back of the net and send the puck back out to Johnson who didn’t hesitate a single bit and send the puck flying past Ullmark.

The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to be on fire in the first period. In what was becoming a rather refreshing pattern, the Lightning would extend their lead to three as Nikita Kucherov would bury a rebound past Ullmark to extend the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lead over the Buffalo Sabres to 3-0.

Things were rather quiet on the penalty front in the first period. The only player to be sent to the box would be Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Erik Condra, who would be sent to the box for two minutes for Hooking Sabres left wing Jamie McGinn.

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Unfortunately, the Buffalo Sabres seemed to have awakened the beast inside in the second period. The Sabres would absolutely dominate the second period. In just 20 minutes of hockey, the Sabres would outshoot the Lightning 21-8. Thanks to the tremendous performance of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, only one of those 21 shots would find its way into the back of the net. It would be Sabres rookie Jack Eichel would pierce Vasilevskiy’s defenses and get one back for the Sabres.

While we have always been one who is a proponent of quality over quantity, getting outshot 21-8 gives us an uneasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs that feels all-too familiar.

Thankfully for the Tampa Bay Lightning, when they came out for the third period they seemed to realize the error of their ways in the second period and were able to hold the Buffalo Sabres to zero shots on goal for the first seven minutes of play. This is the kind of defensive pressure we need to continually put on our opponents all season long.

There was a scary moment in the later moments of the third period. Just after the halfway point in the period, Sabres defenseman Mike Weber would bury Killorn into the wall. This would earn him a seat in the sin bin for 2 mins for Boarding. Thankfully, Killorn came away from this one fairly unscathed. The absolute last thing the Tampa Bay Lightning needs right this minute is for another one of their key players to go missing in action.

Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning came up empty on the Power Play. As luck would have it, the Lightning would get another chance at the Power Play just over two minutes after Weber would come out of the box. Once again, it would be Mike Weber who would take a seat in the sin bin; this time for Delay of Game.

Surprisingly, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres would be held to 3-2 shots on goal (respectively) in the third period. This is a definite change in pace from the first two periods of play. Thankfully, the change of pace seemed to work in the favor of the Lightning.

As time continued to tick off the clock, the Sabres would pull goaltender Linus Ullmark in order to get an extra attacker on the ice. Unfortunately for them, their fate would be sealed much the same way the Lightning’s fate as ended up lately. With just 30 seconds left in the game, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman would sink the puck into the Empty Net and seal the deal for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A good portion of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success in Buffalo came at the glove and stick of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy would stop all but one of the 31 shots brought against him tonight for a Save Percentage of .968. The twenty one year old netminder made some amazing saves for the Lightning and definitely kept the Lightning in the game during the second period.

Vasilevskiy has been successful in both games he’s played this season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper has said on multiple occasions that he wants to make it so the Tampa Bay Lightning has a 1a and 1b goaltending situation. Judging by Vasilevskiy’s performance thus far, the Lightning are definitely on the right track.

The Tampa Bay Lightning finish up their road trip on Saturday night as the Bolts travel to Xcel Energy Center to take on the Minnesota Wild. From there, they will head back home to the Amalie Arena for a three-game home stand where they will face the Sabres, the Calgary Flames, and Florida Panthers in that order.

What do you think was the big moment of the night for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they downed the Buffalo Sabres? Which player really stood out among the rest? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Make sure to stay connected right here with Bolts By The Bay as we bring you the latest and greatest Tampa Bay Lightning news, updates, and commentary.