Tampa Bay Lightning Remain Perfect with a 5-2 Win Over the Calgary Flames

The Tampa Bay Lightning has finished off their four-game home stand in perfect form with a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may have started out the game slower than we would have preferred, but when the final goal horn sounded the Tampa Bay Lightning would defeat the Calgary Flames by the score of 5-2. This means that the Lightning has successfully completed a perfect four-game home stand.

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As we mentioned before, the first period started out incredibly slow for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In their defense, this is almost expected after a four day break, albeit a well-deserved and much needed break.

In fact, it wasn’t until halfway through the first period when the first goal would be scored.

That honor would go to Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette, who was recently recalled from the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

The first period goal would be Paquette’s first ever NHL goal.

It wasn’t until the final five minutes of the period when the Flames would get one back with a goal by left wing Jiri Hudler.

Tensions started to bubble during the first period when there was quite a bit of pushing and shoving in front of the Flames net, but nothing in the terms of penalties would result from it. In fact, the first period was unusually calm in the penalty department. It was a nice change of pace, even if it was a temporary one.

The second period was definitely not like the first one in any respect. The Lightning had officially woken up and got back into the game, both offensively and defensively.

Just over one minute into the period, Paquette would strike once again, scoring his second ever National Hockey League goal. Paquette seems to be making a habit out of this, we think we can get behind this movement.

The assists on Paquette’s second goal would be awarded to Vladislav Namestnikov and Jason Garrison.

As Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer sat in the penalty box for two minutes for Hooking Flames right wing David Jones, Brian Boyle would make a stand by nailing in an unassisted – and rather amazing – shorthanded goal. This would give the Bolts a comfortable 3-1 lead.

Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be much time for celebrating.

Just a matter of seconds later, Calgary would find their way past Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop on the Power Play with a goal from center Sean Monahan.

This is the point in the game where everything seemed to turn upside down. Within twenty seconds of each other, four players – two Lightning and two Flames – would head to the Penalty Box.

Flames left wing Curtis Glencross would head off for Hooking, Lightning center Tyler Johnson and Flames Center Markus Granlund would head off for Embellishment, and Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman would head off for Elbowing. Did you get all that?

When is the last time we have been in a 3-on-3 situation? Is that even a thing?

In any case, the penalties continued as did the running of the clock. Thankfully, the second intermission is all the Lightning needed to truly get back into this game and put the final nail in the Flames’ coffin.

Just forty seconds into the third period, Tyler Johnson would make the Lightning’s presence known with a wrist shot that would make its way past Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller with assists from Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat.

I am sure that you have heard this very same thing said a million times before, but it is becoming apparently clear that the Johnson-Palat-Kucherov line has played its way to the top this season. Each and every game, I find myself more and more impressed with the chemistry they have built.

In comparison to the second period, the third period was rather calm; both on the scoring and penalty fronts. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “boring” as the entire game seemed to flow at a nice pace with some valid, and sometimes incredibly close, scoring chances sprinkled throughout, but you get where we are going with this.

The Flames elected to pull Hiller with a little under three minutes left in the game with the hopes that the extra man would allow them to get back into the game and take this baby to overtime, but thanks to an empty net goal from center Valtteri Filppula, this would prove to be out of the realm of possibility.

Was this the perfect game? Absolutely not; however, tonight’s win did give the Tampa Bay Lightning a perfect four-game home stand, which is a testament to how much depth this team really has.

In seasons past, the injury bug has been the death of our season; however, that is not the case anymore. The Lightning has more than enough people at each position to carry the load should someone go down to injury.

If the Bolts keep up the way that they have been playing during this home stand, then we have a feeling that the Lightning will be able to come home with a minimum of four points out of six available on the three-game road trip they begin on Saturday night.

What did you think of tonight’s 5-2 Tampa Bay Lightning victory over the Calgary Flames? Who stood out the most to you in tonight’s encounter? What are you looking for out of the Lightning in the upcoming three-game road trip? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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