Tampa Bay Lightning absolutely dismantle the Los Angeles Kings

The Tampa Bay Lightning aggressive first period let to the Bolts absolutely dismantling the Los Angeles Kings with a 5-1 victory at the Staples Center in LA.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may not have gotten off to the start they would have liked last night when they took on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center in San Jose. Unfortunately for the Sharks, the Lightning wasn’t prepared to walk out of San Jose without adding two points to their league-leading totals.

The Lightning got the job done last night in San Jose, but the Bolts didn’t have much time to enjoy their victory. Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning made their way to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Kings and finish off their back-to-back series.

As many imagined, it was Peter Budaj who got the nod between the pipes against his former team. There are two ways this situation could play out. Either the Lightning will be rock solid thanks to Budaj’s knowledge of the Kings system or the Kings will pick Budaj apart, knowing all his weaknesses.

Well…judging by the opening moments of the first period, it seemed pretty clear the Lightning would be going with Option A. In the first half of the first period, Lightning fans would be glued to the edge of their seats with their mouths hanging open from pure, unadulterated shock.

It all started just before the halfway point in the period. The first to strike would be the Lightning’s leading goal scorer, Nikita Kucherov. Obviously, this comes as a surprise to exactly no one. A mere 33 seconds later, it would be Lightning forward Alex Killorn who would pick up his second goal of the season.

More from Bolts by the Bay

• Tampa Bay Lightning: Maxim Groshev Stands Out at Rookie Showcase
• Tampa Bay Lightning Atlantic Division Preview: Boston Bruins
• Do the Tampa Bay Lightning provide Tyler Motte with career stability?
• Mikhail Sergachev hints a renewed vigor for the Tampa Bay Lightning
• Four training camp battles to watch with the Tampa Bay Lightning

Just when the Kings thought the torture had come to an end, the Lightning show the royal ones they weren’t ready to back down just yet. Just 34 seconds after Killorn’s goal, the Lightning would strike once again. This time, it would be Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman who would beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, extending the Bolts lead over the Kings to three goals.

Surprisingly enough, the Lightning was not done bringing the pain to the Kings in the first period. Under a minute after the goal from Victor Hedman, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos would add yet another point to his league-leading numbers with a goal. The assists on the Stamkos goal would go to Killorn and Kucherov.

Through the first 20 minutes of play, the Lightning would bring home four goals on 14 shots, holding the Kings to nine shots on goal. Lightning netminder Peter Budaj played a big part in the Lightning’s first-period success. Budaj was forced to make some pretty big saves to preserve the Lightning’s standing in the first.

Unfortunately for the Bolts, the Kings would gain a little ground in the second period. Granted, the Kings were nowhere near taking control of the game, but progress was indeed made. It took them until the final three minutes of the period, but Kings forward Tyler Toffoli would beat Budaj and get the Kings on the board.

The Lightning had one heck of a scare in the final seconds of the second period. It seemed as if Kings captain Anze Kopitar had beaten Peter Budaj and cut the Lightning’s lead in half. Thankfully, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper had his eye on the game and challenged the call on the ice.

Upon review, the referees determined there was goaltender interference at the hands of Kings forward Dustin Brown and the goal was taken away. This was a huge break for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who seemed to be falling flat in the latter moments of the second period.

It seems as if the Staples Center had an abundance of salt tonight. Kings fans were rather irritated at the referees for actually making a correct call. Where there would normally have been a “Go, Kings, Go!” chant, there was a “Ref, You Suck!” chant. Normally, we would be on board with this chant. Alas, the refs made the right call for what seems like the first time in the history of ever.

When the second period would come to a close, the Lightning would lead the Kings 4-1. The Bolts would continue to dominate the Kings when it came to Shots on Goal. The Lightning would outshoot the Kings 19-6 in the second period for a two-period total of 33-15.

It is because of this pressure the Lightning has been able to maintain true control of this game; however, as we previously mentioned, the Lightning did seem to let up a little too much in the final moments of the second. If the Bolts wanted to maintain their lead and bring home another two points, they would definitely have to get back to the way they played in the first period and leave the lax of the second behind.

Regrettably, it seems as if the Lightning were still trapped in the lull of the second period. They were nowhere near as aggressive with the puck and started allowing the Kings to spend way too much time in the offensive zone. This, of course, opened the door for disaster.

At 8:39 in the third period, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Oscar Fantenberg would pick up his first-ever NHL goal with assists from Dustin Brown and Brooks Laich. Needless to say, at this point, the momentum was definitely behind the Kings. The Lightning would need to bring out the big guns to curtail this momentum.

Of course, this is exactly what the Tampa Bay Lightning did. The Lightning would really bring the pressure to the Kings, and eventually Jonathan Quick would feel it. As Quick found himself flat on his back, Vladislav Namestnikov would pick up his eighth goal of the season with assists from Hedman and Kucherov.

At this point, there was still plenty of hockey left to play. The onus was on the Tampa Bay Lightning to close this game out and prevent the Kings from mounting a comeback. This would involve a whole-team effort.

The Bolts found themselves challenged when Yanni Gourde found himself with a one-way ticket to the sin bin for Interference against Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. This would force the Lightning to work extra hard on the Penalty Kill in order to keep things where they were.

After the Lightning killed the penalty, one would have thought the Kings would’ve pulled Jonathan Quick in order to get an extra skater on the ice. Unfortunately for the Kings, this option would go flying out the window at warp speed as Quick was whistled for a Tripping penalty, causing the Kings to spend almost the entirety of the remainder of the period on the Penalty Kill.

While the Lightning was unable to put the puck in the back of the net on the Power Play, they were able to maintain possession of the puck and wait out the clock. When the final buzzer sounded, it would once again be the Tampa Bay Lightning who would bring home the two points. It was definitely a nice way to finish off a back-to-back series. Despite being tired, the Bolts were still able to bring their ‘A’ game.

Tampa Bay Lightning

There are some Lightning fans who have had some pretty nasty things to say about Peter Budaj so far this season; however, Budaj was a huge part of the Lightning’s success tonight against the Kings. Much like his goaltending partner Andrei Vasilevskiy, Budaj came up with some amazing saves and really helped keep the Lightning on top against his former team.

The Lightning’s top line gave another stellar performance tonight in Los Angeles. The trio of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Vladislav Namestnikov was responsible for a total of six points; three goals and three assists. Kucherov came up with a goal and two assists while Stamkos brought home a goal and an assist and Vladdy came up with a goal.

Nine different players would come up with a point in the Lightning’s first-period onslaught. This just goes to prove how dangerous the Lightning are at all levels. While Stamkos and Kucherov may be leading the way, there are plenty of players in the lineup who are capable of making an impact.

The Lightning has two days off (technically one since it’s after midnight, but still) before they have to get down to business once again. On Sunday night, the Lightning will travel to the Honda Center where they will take on the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks and the Bolts had a very similar night tonight. Anaheim found themselves with a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at home. You know what happens when two teams with momentum meet together in the center of the ice? You end up with one explosive game.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has experienced an amazing start to the 2017-18 season. If the Lightning wants to continue their winning ways, they are going to have to work on their consistency and not let off the gas in the second and third periods.

At the same time, the Lightning’s top line has been firing on all cylinders. We here at Bolts By The Bay can’t speak for the other 30 teams in the National Hockey League, but we know we wouldn’t want to have to defend against Stamkos, Kucherov, and Namestnikov.

Next: Vasilevskiy's Success Will Force Budaj To Suffer

Jonathan Quick is more than likely going to see Lightning Blue in his sleep tonight. Hopefully, the Lightning can carry this over to Anaheim on Sunday.