Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov strikes early in the second period to regain the lead for the Bolts over the visiting Minnesota Wild.
The Tampa Bay Lightning definitely got off to a good start on Saturday night as they took on the Minnesota Wild in the final game of their six-game home stand before heading out on the road for four games. As the Lightning and Wild headed into the first period, the score would be all tied up at one goal apiece.
In the first period, the Lightning really applied some of the same offensive pressure Lightning fans became accustomed to last season during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the first 20 minutes of play, the Lightning registered 12 shots on goal while holding the Wild to a mere four shots on goal.
Unfortunately, despite the Tampa Bay Lightning’s offensive pressure, the Bolts did not head into the first intermission with the lead they would have hoped for earlier in the period. With just under five minutes left in the period, the Wild would send the puck flying down the ice into the Lightning’s zone.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was playing in his first game back on the main roster after a conditioning stint with the Syracuse Crunch, would attempt to play the puck behind the net. The bad news is, the puck would miss the stick of Vasilevskiy and go right to the waiting stick of Wild center Charlie Coyle. As you can imagine, Coyle would simply put his stick to the puck and send it flying into the open net. Vasy had little to no chance to make the stop.
As the Lightning hit the ice for the second period, the Bolts new they has to apply the same offensive pressure they had in the first 20 minutes of play. While they may not have been quite as successful keeping the puck out of the defensive zone as much as they did in the first period, the pressure was still very present and ready for action.
Much like the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first goal of the night, the play started all the way back in the Lightning’s defensive zone. Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman got a hold of the puck just outside the neutral zone. As the play progressed into and through the neutral zone, Stralman would send the puck forward to left wing Ondrej Palat. Palat wasted no time in firing on Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk.
Dubnyk would turn away Palat’s first shot attempt, but this didn’t stop Palat from fighting for puck possession. In just a matter of seconds, Palat was back in control and looking for his next target. Seeing he had no clear shooting lane, he looked for an alternate option. Then…it happened.
Palat would immediately pass the puck to his linemate Nikita Kucherov, who just happened to have the most amazing shooting lane waiting for him. The transition between the two of them was as seamless as could be and Nikita Kucherov would send the puck flying past Dubnyk to regain the lead for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Just think…all of this happened in the first 1:03 of the second period.
Nikita Kucherov has been an invaluable asset to the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Right now, Kucherov is leading the way for the Tampa Bay Lightning in terms of points. Unlike his Triplet linemates, who has dealt with a variety of injuries this season, Kucherov has played in all 39 games with the Lightning this season. In that amount of time, the Moscow native has scored 14 goals and 16 assists for a total of 30 points.
Last season, the Triplets accounted for slightly over one-third of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s total points. This is pretty amazing for a trio who was just starting to carve out their path in the National Hockey League. Now that the Triplets have been reunited, Lightning fans certainly hope they can rekindle some of the chemistry they’ve become known for and truly spark the Tampa Bay Lightning’s offense.
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