Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov got an assist from an opponent as he tied things up for the Lightning in the 2nd period against the Arizona Coyotes.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has spent a good portion of the evening chasing down a lead. The Arizona Coyotes set the tone of the game early in the first period with a goal from Coyotes forward Christian Fischer. Now, the Lightning finds themselves with an opportunity in front of them.
The Lightning is now deep into the second period, just moments away from the start of the second intermission. The Bolts are currently tied at two thanks to a fantastic side-angle tally from Nikita Kucherov around the halfway point in the period.
The only thing that could make this moment better would be if the Lightning could find a way to pull ahead of Arizona before the buzzer sounds to end the period.
Tampa Bay Lightning
What both the team and the fans were unaware at the time, not only would they get their wish, but they would get their wish under the oddest of circumstances. Allow us to elaborate just a little. You’re not going to believe how this one plays out. At the very least, you’re going to get a pretty good chuckle out of this one.
Everything kicks into gear in the Lightning’s defensive zone. Coyotes forward Christian Dvorak would put the puck on the net, but Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy would deftly make the stop. This is where Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin would get his stick on the puck.
It took a moment for him to get the puck under control, but once everything was in order, Drouin went quickly speeding through the neutral zone. This was one of those moments when his spectacular stick-handling skills would come into play. After making his way through not one, but two defensemen, Drouin was able to pass the puck back to forward Vladislav Namestnikov.
Namestnikov continued his stride towards the net, pausing only long enough to take the shot on goal. Unfortunately for Namestnikov, Coyotes netminder Louis Domingue was able to make the stop, well…the post was able to make the stop. However, this is where things got rather interesting.
As we mentioned a moment ago, the goal post made the initial save on the shot from Namestnikov. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, neither Domingue nor the goal post was ready for what happened next. The puck would actually deflect off the helmet of Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair and right into the back of the net.
That’s right; ladies and gentlemen…Duclair essentially scored a goal on his own team. Thankfully for the Lightning, all the credit would go to Namestnikov and the Lightning would earn their first lead of the hockey game as they prepared to head into the second intermission.
Vladislav Namestnikov has been a little stale as of late when it comes to goal scoring. His goal late in the second period was the first point he’s acquired in the last five games he’s played in. Fortunately, his numbers for the season tell a bit of a different story.
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In the 64 games the 24-year-old Russian forward has played with the Lightning this season, he has been able to bring home 10 goals and 15 assists for a total of 25 points. If Namestnikov can get hot heading into the final 10 games of the season, there is a possibility he could set a new personal record for himself.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has definitely regained momentum in tonight’s encounter with the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, the battle has not come to an end just yet. There is still another 20 minutes of hockey in front of them and if the team wants to bring home a much-needed two points, they are going to have to remain vigilant.
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The Lightning is teetering on the edge of elimination after dropping the last two games in a row. If the Lightning doesn’t get back on the right track soon, they’ll be scheduling tee times rather than flight plans and hotel reservations once April rolls around. Hopefully, the latter will be the end result. At this point, it’s all up to them.