Tampa Bay Lightning Drop Overtime Heartbreaker To St. Louis Blues

Fresh off a perfect two-game homestand to end January, the Tampa Bay Lightning hit the road looking to make a statement against the equally high-flying St. Louis Blues.

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Mission partially accomplished, as they played well but couldn’t quite finish the task, falling 2-1 in overtime to one of the Western Conference’s top teams.

Coming out flying, the Bolts controlled play for most of the opening frame. A shot from Ryan Callahan, who was buzzing around the offensive zone all game long, hit the post. That pressure ended up helping to set up the game’s first goal.

Young phenom Cedric Paquette, he of the hot hand recently, chipped the puck down the wall. A streaking Alex Killorn collected it, passing to rookie Jonathan Drouin, who shot it towards Blues goaltender Brian Elliott. Elliott made the initial save but had trouble collecting the rebound, giving Paquette time to sweep in and roof it for an early 1-0 lead.

After that, the two teams swapped chances. The Lightning had the majority, outshooting St. Louis by a large 11-2 margin. They also got a power play, part of which rolled over into the second period, when Alex Steen was sent off for hooking. Nothing came of that opportunity though, so the score remained 1-0.

During the middle frame, things turned feisty. The Bolts were dictating play, obviously irking the Blues. Midway through the period, St. Louis captain David Backes exchanged pleasantries with Tampa Bay’s captain Steven Stamkos.

Unsatisfied that Stamkos wouldn’t drop the gloves, Backes then attempted to start something with defenseman Victor Hedman.

Bad move.

That got Stamkos attention immediately, as the Lightning captain took off the gloves and went after Backes. It was a short fight, one that should have resulted in matching penalties. It didn’t, however, with Hedman receiving an extra two minutes for roughing. (Why, I don’t exactly know.)

Unfortunately, the momentum couldn’t create goals. It did draw another penalty on the Blues, but considering the Lightning’s power play that meant little.

In the final frame, the Tampa Bay Lightning again held a big shot advantage. With the score still 1-0, Elliott robbed Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Callahan and Stamkos. A shot from Valtteri Filppula glanced off the right post as well.

Escaping those close calls gave the Blues momentum, and they cashed in with 3:10 remaining in regulation. Sniper Vladimir Tarasenko cleanly won the faceoff and wristed it past Bishop to tie things up at one apiece.

However, the Bolts didn’t give up. Paquette saw a shot go sailing over the crossbar and Stamkos was robbed by Elliott a couple more times, so on to overtime they went.

That’s where the Lightning broke down defensively. Blues defenseman Chris Butler sent a pass to Jaden Schwartz, who walked around two players before roofing the puck past a stunned Bishop. 2-1 Blues and the team was left wondering what could have been.

I know this is little consolation right now, but the Tampa Bay Lightning played arguably their best 60+ minute game on Tuesday night against the Blues. They deserved so much better in the fate department, but a hot goaltender and bad puck luck ultimately did them in.

As much as losing stinks, this game should serve as a blueprint for the Bolts. They held a high-octane Blues offense in check for most of the night, something that’s usually difficult to do. Moreover, they refused to allow a bigger St. Louis team take liberties with anyone.

In fact, the only issue I took from this game was the Lightning’s non-existent power play. No matter how many times head coach Jon Cooper juggles the units there doesn’t seem to be any real solution to their woes. It’s gotten to the point where I’m sure the thought of declining the man advantage in an attempt to retain momentum has crossed many people’s minds at some point in time.

Moving forward, the Lightning need to bring another A++ effort Thursday night when they visit the Dallas Stars. Doing so should provide them with better results and set this brutal month of February on the right track. Puck drop’s set for 8:30 p.m. EST.

What are your thoughts regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning’s heartbreaking loss to the Blues? Do you feel this team’s elite and can compete with the best in the west, or are there still areas they need to improve in? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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