Tampa Bay Lightning Highlights: Ondrej Palat Goes For Two In The Second (Video)

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat extends the Lightning’s lead to two with his second goal of the night against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning got off to a heck of a start tonight as they kick off their four-game homestand against the Edmonton Oilers. There is a lot on the line in tonight’s game, and the Lightning seems to be doing everything within their power to make sure things go their way.

In the first period of play, the Tampa Bay Lightning kicked things off rather early. This was in no small part to the newly-reformed Triplets. Just 4:26 into the period, Lightning forward Ondrej Palat would take a feed from his linemate Nikita Kucherov and turn it into an early goal for the Bolts.

While this would be the only goal for the Lightning in the first 20 minutes of play, the Lightning continued to dominate the Oilers and dictate the pace of the game. The Bolts would outshoot the Oilers 12-7 in the first period. The Bolts would dominate the faceoff circle as well, going 59-41 in the faceoff circle.

Tampa Bay Lightning

When the Lightning hit the ice for the second period of play, they wasted no time in getting back to business. Once again, it was the Triplets who set things in motion.

Ironically enough, this one started off with a faceoff loss in the offensive zone. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Kris Russell would attempt to play the puck, but after it ricocheted off the boards, it was Lightning forward Tyler Johnson who was able to get his stick on the puck.

Much like every other time the Triplets are on the ice, what happened next almost looked like child’s play. Ondrej Palat doesn’t waste a single second in pulling back his stick and firing off the shot. It almost looked as if the puck bounced off of Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit’s shoulder, but when all was said and done, the puck was in the back of the net. The buzzer sounded, and the Lightning now had a two-goal lead over the Oilers.

It almost looked as if the puck bounced off of Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit’s shoulder, but when all was said and done, the puck was in the back of the net. The buzzer sounded, and the Lightning now had a two-goal lead over the Oilers.

Palat did something many players seem to hesitate doing, he went top shelf on a goalie. Many players seem to take the easy route and go for the run of the mill shot. Unfortunately, sometimes this just isn’t effective. Sometimes, you have to take it to the ugly places and simply get the job done.

Much like any line in the NHL, there comes a point when a line becomes stagnant and ceases to be a threat to their opponents. The Triplets have been down this road before, and it probably wasn’t the last time they’ll experience this. Thankfully, when the Triplets are hot, they are absolutely on fire. This has been the story as of late. It couldn’t possibly come at a better time for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Next: Did Ryan Callahan Back Himself Into A Corner?

There is still a lot of hockey left to be played in tonight’s game, but if the Triplets continue to bring the fight to the Oilers the way they have thus far, this is going to be a long and arduous night for the Oilers and their fans.