Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov was on his way to sinking an empty net goal when he was hooked by Edmonton Oilers forward Patrick Maroon.
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a lot riding on the line tonight as they kicked off their four-game homestand against the eighth-place Edmonton Oilers tonight. After a season marred by injuries and doubt, the Lightning has finally found a way to win. A victory tonight would result in a seven-game point streak for the Bolts.
As most Lightning fans know by now, the Bolts got down to business the moment the puck dropped to start the game. It was just 4:26 into the first period when Lightning forward Ondrej Palat would strike the Oilers and open up the scoring for the Bolts.
In the second period, Palat would strike once again, this time just 16 seconds into the start of the period. The assists on Palat’s second goal went to his newly reunited Triplet linemates Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Edmonton Oilers would reduce the Lightning’s lead to a single goal at the halfway point in the second period with a goal from Oilers forward Iiro Pakarinen. Thankfully for the Bolts, this would be the one and only time the Oilers would make their way past Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop in this encounter.
When the puck dropped to start the third period, the Lightning got down to business almost as quickly as they did in the second period. This time, it was a mere 49 seconds into the period when Nikita Kucherov would sink the third goal of the night for the Triplets, and the Lightning as a whole.
This brings us to the final seconds of the game. Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan elected to pull Oilers netminder Laurent Brossoit with just under two minutes left in the third period in an attempt to get an extra attacker on the ice and mount a last-minute rally against the Bolts.
As the final seconds started to tick off the clock, the Oilers found themselves in what could easily be referred to as a lose/lose situation. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was able to break the puck free along the boards in the Lightning’s defensive zone.
Quickly, Kucherov fired the puck towards the blueline where Vladislav Namestnikov was patiently waiting. Namestnikov was able to quickly blow by Oilers forward Milan Lucic and take off towards the empty net on the other side of the ice.
Just as Namestnikov was able to take his shot, the Oilers did what little they could to stop him. Oilers forward Patrick Maroon blatantly hooked Namestnikov and sent him tumbling to the ice. According to the rules, when someone is interfered with on a clear breakaway towards an empty net, a goal is automatically awarded.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, this was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations. Had Maroon not hooked Namestnikov, it’s pretty clear Vladdy would’ve hit the empty net on his own. At the same time, committing the penalty only sealed the deal for the Lightning.
When all was said and done, the Namestnikov goal was what could easily be referred to as the icing on top of the cake. It wasn’t exactly needed to secure the victory, but it was definitely sweet when it was added to the scoresheet.
Next: Did Ryan Callahan Back Himself Into A Corner?
The Tampa Bay Lightning put on quite a show tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. Unlike the team fans have seen for a majority of the season, this team came ready to play…this team came ready to win. If the Lightning continue to play like this for the remainder of the regular season, this is going to be one wild ride towards the postseason.