Tampa Bay Lightning G Ben Bishop Sets New Franchise Record In Shutout
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop scores his 15th career shutout in 2-0 win over Arizona Coyotes.
The Tampa Bay Lightning definitely had a lot of ground to make up as they made their way deep into the desert tonight to take on the Arizona Coyotes. After having the last two games ripped away from them thanks to their lackadaisical play, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew they had to make a statement tonight if they wanted to remain in a comfortable position once the regular season comes to an end in just a few weeks.
The Lightning got off to a fairly decent start in the first period of play at the Gila River Arena tonight. In what would turn out to be one of the calmest periods of play this evening, the Tampa Bay Lightning put a fair amount of pressure on the Arizona Coyotes. In the first 20 minutes of play, the Lightning would outshoot the Coyotes 13-7. This is a much-needed improvement from the last couple of games where the Tampa Bay Lightning has seriously suffered in shots on goal.
Both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Arizona Coyotes would have an opportunity with the man advantage, but neither one of them were able to capitalize on the opportunity. In fact, for most of the first period, neither side would have much luck making their way to the back of the net.
This brings us to the final minute of play. Time continues to tick off the clock, which means the pressure to get the puck in the back of the net has kicked up exponentially. The Tampa Bay Lightning knew if they were going to head down the tunnel for the first intermission with a lead over the Coyotes, their move had to be made now.
With just 57 seconds left on the clock, the veil had finally been broken and a puck had made its way into the back of the net. Thankfully for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the goal came off the stick of a Tampa Bay Lightning player. It would be Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat who would strike first blood for the Tampa Bay Lightning with the assist of defenseman Victor Hedman and center Alex Killorn.
One of the more scary moments in the first period was when Tampa Bay Lightning center Vladislav Namestnikov got nailed with a puck on the left side of his face. Needless to say, Vladdy went down pretty quickly and needed some tending too once he made his way down the tunnel to the Lightning locker room. The good news is, it was nothing too serious and Namestnikov was able to make his way back to the bench.
When the Tampa Bay Lightning made their way back out on the ice for the second period of play, it seemed as if they were prepared to keep the pressure on the Coyotes, but as the period wore on, the Coyotes seemed to make up a lot of ground on the Bolts. This would be in no small part attributed to the number of penalties the Tampa Bay Lightning would take in the second period.
The Lightning would give the Coyotes four opportunities with the man advantage. Much to the chagrin of the Tampa Bay Lightning, three of those penalty kills would overlap one another in the opening minutes of the period. Needless to say, it was the heroics of Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop who would keep the team’s head above water in the second period.
Much like the first period of play, both the Lightning and the Coyotes had difficulty making their way to the back of the net. One of the most glaring differences between the first two periods of play is the Coyotes were able to outshoot the Lightning 13-11 in the second period for a two-period total of 24-20 in favor of the Lightning. Of course, as we mentioned before, this had a lot to do with the amount of time the Lightning spent in the sin bin.
Heading to the locker room for the second intermission, the Tampa Bay Lightning would continue to lead the Arizona Coyotes 1-0. If the Tampa Bay Lightning desired a victory tonight, they would simply have to get back to the play from the first period and bring the pressure to the Coyotes instead of the other way around.
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When the two teams hit the ice for the third period of play, everything that has been smoldering for the first two periods finally started to catch fire. It wasn’t long until it looked like napalm spread everywhere on the ice.
As both teams were attempting to play the puck behind the net, there would be some pushing and shoving between Lightning right wing J.T. Brown and Coyotes left wing Anthony Duclair. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, things escalated when Duclair took a slash at J.T. Brown that snapped his stick right in front of the referee.
Duclair skated away as if he hadn’t done anything, not even realizing he’d been called for a penalty. In typical goon fashion, once Duclair realized he was getting the call for Slashing against J.T. Brown, he would return to instigate a fight between him and Brown. How did he accomplish this? Oh, just a little cross-check to the face. Needless to say, this ended in fists being thrown and players headed to the box.
The funny thing here is the disagreement didn’t end on the ice. The two players continued to take jabs at each other in the penalty box. Duclair had seemingly run out of legit reasons to haw at Brown, so he digressed to making jokes about Brown’s hair. Personally, we like Brown’s sharp do, but we may be a little biased here.
The Tampa Bay Lightning would come out of this mess on the Power Play as Duclair was given the double minor for his actions against Brown. Unfortunately, in typical Tampa Bay Lightning special teams form, the Lightning was unable to do anything with their four-minute power play.
As time continued to tick off the clock, Tampa Bay Lightning fans continued to clamber for an “insurance goal,” but time after time they continued to be denied. Then, the final minute of play came. After the Arizona Coyotes pulled netminder Louis Domingue, it would be Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov who would hit the back of the empty net with the assist of Steven Stamkos, giving the Lightning a 2-0 lead in the final minute.
Just when you think the Tampa Bay Lightning had this game won outright, a player like defenseman Matt Carle decided to take a penalty. This is not exactly the position a team wants to find themselves on the precipice of a well-earned shutout. Thankfully, fortune decided to smile on the Tampa Bay Lightning today. Moments after the Carle penalty, Coyotes captain Shane Doan would head to the sin bin for dumping Anton Stralman.
When the final buzzer would sound, the Tampa Bay Lightning would earn their much-needed redemption (and the much-needed two points) against the Arizona Coyotes, completing the season sweep.
Tonight was definitely a hot night for Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Bishop stopped all 31 shots on goal from the Arizona Coyotes to earn his 15th career shutout, which earns Bishop yet another franchise record. In addition to this, tonight marks Ben Bishop’s 30th win of the season. It should come as no surprise Bishop was named the first star of the game for his spectacular performance.
Next: Lightning Head Into The Desert In Search of Redemption
The Tampa Bay Lightning has two days off before they head home to the Amalie Arena to kick off a six-game home stand against the Detroit Red Wings. This is going to be a pivotal game for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, and will prove to be a must-win for the Bolts. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Amalie Arena.