Tampa Bay Lightning F Jonathan Drouin Shows Toughness In Game 3 (Video)

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing showcased his toughness by returning to Game 3 against the New York Islanders after taking a vicious hit to the head.

There are a lot of words people have used to describe Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin this season, but a good majority of those are not exactly fit to print. Some of the more mild ones have been childish, inexperienced, whiny, and traitor. Since making his return to both the Syracuse Crunch and Tampa Bay Lightning’s main lineup, Drouin has made massive strides towards repairing his broken relationships.

In fact, if you were one of the millions of people who watched Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders last night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, you may very well have a new word to describe the young Quebec forward….tough.

The Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves in a precarious position as they made their way into the second period of play. The New York Islanders controlled the pace of the game for much of the first period, and it wasn’t until the final moments of the first frame before the Lightning would be able to even things out and get on the board themselves. Now, the Lightning would need to make a stand in the second period.

The Lightning came out of the gate like they were ready to do just that when all of a sudden the wind was taken out of their sails and the Bolts were facing down the very real possibility of moving on without yet another of the vital pieces of the Lightning’s offensive core. The Tampa Bay Lightning are already missing players like Steven Stamkos (blood clot), Erik Condra (Upper Body), J.T. Brown (Upper Body), and more.

Here’s a look at how things played out. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is using his incredible speed to bring the puck through the neutral zone and into the Lightning’s offensive zone. Before Drouin had any chance to make an adjustment or had any idea what was going on for that matter, Drouin found himself the victim of a shoulder/elbow to the head from New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey.

The good news is Jonathan Drouin was able to make it to his feet and off the ice without assistance; however, he would not make a stop at the Tampa Bay Lightning bench. Instead, he would head straight up the tunnel to the Lightning locker room. This is where Drouin would remain for the rest of the second period.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans began to worry when Drouin did not rejoin his team on the bench for the start of the third period. Adding in the fact the Lightning had made no announcement of the rookie forward’s condition only added to their worry. Being completely honest, we here at Bolts By The Bay were pretty sure Drouin was done for the night after that nasty hit. As strange as this may sound, it’s nice to be proven wrong for once.

Just past the halfway point in the third period, who should re-emerge from the Lightning locker room and rejoin his team on the ice? That’s right, Jonathan Drouin. The best part of this whole story is this is not where it ends. Oh no, there is still more story to be told.

Related Story: Jonathan Drouin Leaves Games After Hit To Head (Video)

The Tampa Bay Lightning once again found themselves in an unfavorable position. Time continued to tick off the clock and the Islanders were still up by one point. If the Lightning had any hopes of leaving the Barclays Center on Tuesday night with the victory, they had to make their move and now.

With just 38 seconds left on the clock, Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov released a snap shot that sailed into the back of the net to tie the game for the Bolts. What does this have to do with Jonathan Drouin, you may ask? Well, the player who fed the pass to Kucherov for the game-tying goal that allowed the Lightning to take this game to overtime came from none other than Jonathan Drouin.

When it comes down to it, Jonathan Drouin could have elected to watch the remainder of the game from the locker room and sit on the sidelines as his teammates fought tooth and nail for every inch of ice they could get, but hockey players are all-around some of the toughest athletes in the world and that’s just not how they do things.

Next: Lightning/Islanders Get Heated In Pre-Game Warmups (Video)

Every single time he has taken the ice since his return, Jonathan Drouin has proven over and over again he has learned from his experiences and is truly ready to put in the work necessary to build a foundation for a successful career in the National Hockey League. If Drouin continues to play the way he has been lately, there is a very good chance he could find himself, along with the rest of the team, fighting for the Cup once again.