Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson Sparks Early Series Split

The Tampa Bay Lightning needed more after a disappointing Game 1 loss Saturday to the New York Rangers. They got it thanks to playoff dynamo Tyler Johnson, who registered the first hat trick in franchise playoff history in a 6-2 win Monday night. Both teams now stand on equal footing heading back to Tampa Bay for Games 3 and 4.

Out of the gate, the Tampa Bay Lightning were more physical. They were also far too undisciplined. About three minutes in, Brian Boyle held Marc Staal. The Rangers relentlessly pressured, leading to Jason Garrison taking a delay of game penalty almost a minute later.

It was a 5-on-3 for the Broadway Blueshirts and the pressure intensified. Like clockwork, it went from one Ranger to the next and on around the point.

Former Bolts Dan Boyle and Martin St. Louis were in the middle of things, with Boyle attempting to hit St. Louis with a perfect pass. The puck bounced off the surefire Hall of Famers stick and hit a Lightning stick. All of a sudden, it was a 2-0 shorthanded breakaway for the good guys and Tyler Johnson beat Henrik Lundqvist for an early 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately the penalty parade continued, with Brenden Morrow sent to the box for high sticking. 35 seconds later, Chris Kreider got control of a rebound from a Dan Boyle shot and fired it past Ben Bishop. 1-1.

Things then became hectic. In a one minute span, three players (Kreider, Ryan Callahan and Derek Stepan) were sent to the penalty box. That created a 4-on-3 situation for the Lightning. Steven Stamkos found Johnson alone to the left of Lundqvist and the undrafted dynamo made no mistake, beating the phenomenal Swedish goaltender top shelf for a 2-1 lead.

A lot of back-and-forth hockey took place during the middle frame. So much that everyone, from the players to coaches to those watching in the stands or at home, probably needed oxygen or perhaps a ventilator to keep their hearts beating after 40 minutes.

Johnson got the scoring started by picking up his third goal of the game off a mad scramble in Lundqvist’s crease. This occurred after Ondrej Palat sent a shot on net, hitting the post before falling behind the Rangers netminder. As he searched, both Johnson and Nikita Kucherov created traffic in the crease. The result: a two goal lead at 3-1.

Momentum looked to be in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s corner until there was a little over six minutes remaining in the period. Then Cedric Paquette was penalized for tripping Game 1 hero Dominic Moore. Not long afterward, with Bishop out of position, Stepan’s shot deflected off Braydon Coburn‘s leg and into the net. 3-2 and the Rangers could smell blood.

Luckily, the Lightning were able to thwart New York’s numerous other opportunities. Victor Hedman saved a sure goal by sliding through Bishop’s crease, one of many key moments in this action packed game.

Finally, it was the third period. Throughout the regular season and on into the playoffs, this was a time the Lightning routinely made their presence felt. Monday night was no different, as they tallied three to turn a close game into a blowout.

The Rangers provided plenty of help, becoming extremely undisciplined and then losing their cool. Seconds after Stepan’s early tripping penalty expired, Hedman passed cross crease to Killorn who buried a one-timer into the open side of the net. 4-2.

Derick Brassard put the Rangers back on the penalty kill just over a minute later, high sticking Kucherov in the throat area. A minute and a half in, Stamkos made him pay by redirecting a Coburn shot past Lundqvist for a 5-2 lead.

New York pressed back, with some chances on Bishop but they were shut down. Then, with approximately three minutes remaining, Tanner Glass threw a punch at Andrej Sustr near Bishop’s net. He then broke his own stick in frustration, picking up not only two minutes for roughing but also a 10 minute misconduct.

On the ensuing power play, Garrison let loose a bomb from the point that Lundqvist couldn’t quite corral. Killorn alertly picked up the rebound and fired it past the goalie to make it 6-2 Lightning.

For the Tampa Bay Lightning, this sudden power play outburst is welcome news. After 88-89 games, it was pretty bad, bordering on dreadful. Then coach Jon Cooper shuffled the units once again and they began clicking. Since early in their semifinal series with the Montreal Canadiens, the Bolts man advantage has clicked at a 50 percent rate, if not more. That’s amazing considering the earlier percentages.

As for Johnson, the Spokane, Washington native who wasn’t drafted mainly because of his size, the Tampa Bay Lightning look to have a close carbon copy to current Ranger Martin St. Louis. Undrafted? Check. Speedy? Check. Elusive? Check. Add fearless and responsible at both ends of the ice to the younger Johnson’s resume as well.

Going forward, the Tampa Bay Lightning must stick to the game plan (minus all the penalties) that they executed so perfectly Monday night. Doing so gives them the best chance to win, something that will be crucial if they expect to still be standing come June.

Next: Jonathan Drouin: Development Gone Wrong?

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