The Tampa Bay Lightning came just short of a comeback once again and fall to the Boston Bruins, finishing their road trip with an abysmal record of 1-3-0.
The first period was an absolute trainwreck for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They didn’t register a shot on goal until almost four minutes into the contest. It was no surprise then when Charlie McAvoy drew first blood for the Boston Bruins.
Originally, the goal was waved off by the refs on the basis of goaltender interference. After review, however, the call was overturned and the Bruins would take the lead.
The Lightning managed to get all of nothing generated offensively after the goal. In fact, they managed to let in another one before the period was over. The usually dominant offense of the Lightning managed to put up a measly total of six shots throughout the entire first period.
The second period did not start much better, unfortunately. The Bruins would score again, and it seemed that the Bolts wouldn’t be able to come back from being down by three.
The Lightning needed a goal, and they got one from the most unexpected source. Andrej Sustr managed to get a shot from the blue line through a screen of 4 (!) people and past Rask. It seems fitting that his first goal of the season came on his birthday. He may not be a fan favorite, but beggars can’t be choosers.
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The period would end with the Bolts once again down by two. Less than a minute into the 3rd period, the Bolts would be put on a power play. No one scores powerplay goals like Steven Stamkos, and he did it at the right time. A fake slapshot pass from Nikita Kucherov would set the Captain up at his spot and he would bring the Bolts within one.
Unfortunately for the Lightning, this would be the end of scoring in this game. The Lightning got offensive pressure going for what seemed like the first time entire game, but Tuukka Rask held his ground. The Lightning would end their road trip with a record of 1-3-0 and only two points for their efforts.
Like the recent Islanders game, the Bolts would suffer from a case of too little too late. You can’t expect to win a hockey game if you dig a hole for yourself during the first two periods, and try to climb out during the last twenty minutes.
Prior to this game, Tuukka Rask hadn’t won a game in over three weeks. This kind of streak shouldn’t have been snapped against what’s supposed to be the best team in the league.
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The Lightning return home on Saturday to take on the San Jose Sharks. They most definitely will not be a team that the Bolts can take an easy two points from. If we’ve learned anything from this road trip, it’s that we’ll be able to see pretty early on how the game is going to pan out. If the Bolts start slow, chances are they’ll come up short.