Tampa Bay Lightning Recap: Bolts Pull Off Heart-Pounding Comeback Over Blackhawks
After being down 3-1 in the 1st period, the Tampa Bay Lightning pulled off a heart-pounding comeback and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been on one heck of a rollercoaster ride this season. Unfortunately, nothing the team has been through this season could accurately prepare fans for the epic journey they would be taken on tonight as they face off with the Chicago Blackhawks at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Unfortunately for the Lightning and their fans, things would definitely not start off the way one would have hoped for. In fact, things started out pretty darn bad for the Boys in Blue. Just 1:23 seconds into the game and the Blackhawks would find the back of the net with a goal from forward Artemi Panarin.
An errant turnover at the hands of Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr in the neutral zone would lead to Panarin bringing the puck into the Lightning’s defensive zone. A couple of passes later, and the Blackhawks would unceremoniously open up the scoring.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Some fans wonder why others are always upset with Andrej Sustr. The simple fact of the matter is it’s little things like this which make the fans’ blood boil. A turnover so close to the zone is almost always a cause for distress, and this isn’t the first time (and probably not the last) this has happened at the hands of Sustr.
The good news here is, this wasn’t the end of the line for the Bolts. It may have taken the team a little longer to get to where they needed to be, but when push came to shove, the Lightning seemed ready to get back into the game. All it took was a little thing known as the Power Play.
At 9:22 in the period, Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook would be sent to the sin bin for two minutes for Delay of Game. Needless to say, the Lightning wasted no time in striking. Just seven seconds into the penalty, Ondrej Palat would get a piece of a shot from defenseman Victor Hedman and tie the game for the Bolts.
The bad news is, this is where the happiness of the Lightning fans would come to a screeching halt. Just 48 seconds after the Palat goal, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane would respond with a goal of his own. It wouldn’t be long before it was plain to see this game was quickly spinning out of control.
After allowing three goals in the first period, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper elected to pull Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. Taking Vasilevskiy’s place between the pipes would be Lightning netminder Peter Budaj.
Thankfully, this would put an end to the uncontrolled bleeding in the first period. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the damage had been done. The Tampa Bay Lightning would enter the first intermission trailing the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. It was at this point many Lightning fans threw their hands up in the air, certain their team was headed for a painful loss at the hands of their 2015 Stanley Cup Finals opponents.
Little did everyone here in the Bolts Nation know, the Tampa Bay Lightning were about to release an unstoppable fury which would ultimately turn the entire game upside down and start what would become an epic night of hockey for the both the team and their fans.
Something interesting happened when the teams took the ice for the second period of play. If you looked closely between the Tampa Bay Lightning pipes, you would see a much less hairy netminder. That’s right; the Lightning would put Andrei Vasilevskiy back in net to start the second period.
Many fans, including us, were rather perplexed by Coach Cooper’s decision. If you pull a goaltender in a game, there is generally a reason behind the move. Nonetheless, the decision had been made and it was time for the Lightning to get down to business.
While the second period may have gotten off to a much slower start than the first 20 minutes of play, the result remained the same. It would be the Blackhawks who would open up the scoring in the second with a goal from former Lightning forward Richard Panik. However, things were definitely about to change for the Bolts.
After the Panik goal, the Lightning would respond with not one, not two, but three unanswered goals. When the Lightning and Blackhawks would head down their respective tunnels for the second intermission, a game which was once very one-sided had turned into an epic battle for supremacy.
When these two teams hit the ice for the third period of play, it was clear the Hawks were determined to regain control of the game and finish what they started so early in the game. Ultimately, the Hawks would outshoot the Lightning 10-3 in the third period, but the combination of the Lightning’s defensive and the newly invigorated play of Andrei Vasilevskiy was able to keep the Blackhawks at bay.
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As the buzzer sounded to bring the third period to an end, the Lightning would pick up a much-needed point and the already stressful game would be headed to overtime. While it is always nice to pick up a guaranteed point, overtime periods can be incredibly stressful at this point in the season.
When you’re in a situation like the one the Lightning currently finds themselves in, every single point can mean the difference between playing in April and hearing the words “mathematically eliminated.” The overtime period is much more fast-paced since the implementation of the 3-on-3 style and provides little room for error.
So…back to the aforementioned stressful overtime period. The Tampa Bay Lightning dominated much of the overtime period, doing an excellent job of controlling the puck, keeping possession, and just plain shutting down the Blackhawks efforts.
Unfortunately, as the time continued to tick off the clock, it looked as if this baby would be headed to a shootout. If there is anything more stressful in the life of a hockey fan than an overtime period during crunch time, it’s a shootout during crunch time. Thankfully, it wouldn’t come to this.
With a mere 35 seconds left in overtime, Lightning rookie Yanni Gourde would pick up the second goal of his NHL career and bring home a much-needed (and incredibly entertaining) victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Needless to say, Gourde’s goal was quite the beauty, and definitely, one Scott Darling would like to have back.
Gourde’s overtime winner was only the beginning of the good news the Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans would receive on this fine evening. Thanks to the Nashville Predators’ 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders, the Lightning would leapfrog the Isles in the standings and are currently one point away from the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Tampa Bay Lightning still has a long road ahead of them, filled with talented and dangerous opponents. With only seven games left in the season, six of which are against Divisional opponents, the Lightning will need to continue their winning ways if they want to continue to forge a path towards postseason play.
It would most certainly be nice if the Lightning could get some of their injured players like Tyler Johnson, Cedric Paquette, and Jason Garrison back into the lineup, but even if this particular goal cannot be accomplished, the Lightning has the tools they need to get the job done. Honestly, it’s going to come down to three things; desire, determination, and consistency.
The Tampa Bay Lightning now has two days off before they are set to host the Detroit Red Wings. As just about everyone here in the Bolts Nation knows, there is absolutely no love lost between these two teams. Judging how things played out when these two teams met on Mar. 24, it’s due to be another heart-stopper.
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Is there postseason hockey in the future of the Tampa Bay Lightning? Only time will tell at this point. The one thing we know for sure is there is still hope and where there is hope, true winners will find a way. We have faith the Lightning are true winners. Here’s hoping they prove us right when the final buzzer sounds.