Tampa Bay Lightning survive late push to overcome Canucks

The Tampa Bay Lightning survived a late comeback attempt after dominating the first two periods to earn two hard-fought points on the road in an eventful game against the Vancouver Canucks

Tampa Bay Lightning fans had to stay up late to catch this one, and it was well worth it. The Bolts made a trip out to the west coast of Canada to take on the Vancouver Canucks and picked up two well-earned points in the process.

The game started off with the Lightning in total control. A shot from the blue line was deflected in front of the net by Chris Kunitz to put the Bolts up just under a minute and a half into the game. Not even five minutes later, Victor Hedman would send a wrist shot right through the five-hole of Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom to put the Bolts up by a pair.

While the Lightning remained in control for the rest of the first period, the scoreboard wouldn’t change anymore before the second period. The Bolts did a good job of limiting the offensive chances of the Canucks this period, which can’t exactly be said for the remainder of the game.

Special teams were put on display during the second period. The teams traded powerplay and penalty kill attempts all period long, with neither being able to convert. In between penalties, Yanni Gourde would take a perfect dish from Mikhail Sergachev and get his 18th goal of the season from a bad angle.

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This goal was special for a few reasons. Gourde’s 18th goal moved him past Alex DeBrincat for sole possession of the second place spot on the rookie goal list. Though Gourde played in a number of games with the Bolts last season, he is still technically a rookie and is behind only the Canuck’s own Brock Boeser for goals scored by a rookie.

The second reason this goal was special was that of its aftermath. After entering the net, the puck slammed into Markstrom’s water bottle, which made it explode in an entertaining fashion.

Hockey’s equivalent of the walk of shame is having to retrieve your water bottle lid after a goal like this. Fun to watch for the scoring team, but not fun to be a part of.

Gourde’s goal brought the Tampa Bay Lightning to a seemingly secure three-goal lead that they would take with them into the second intermission. After controlling the first two periods, it appeared that the Lightning were content to coast through the third period. This was a mistake that the Canucks almost made the Lightning pay dearly for.

Vasilevskiy’s shutout was ruined around halfway through the final period. Thomas Vanek would successfully attempt a wrap-around from behind the net to open scoring for the Canucks. On its own, this goal isn’t a big deal. Other than spoiling Vasilevskiy’s shutout bid, it didn’t do much for the Canucks.

However, this goal was used as a rallying point for the Canucks, and they began to push for a late comeback. Boeser would score with a laser of a wrist shot just four and a half minutes later, and suddenly the comfortable lead the Lightning had been enjoying was gone.

The late push would continue until Cory Conacher took a stick blade to the face during an attempted breakaway. Canucks defensemen Christopher Tanev hit Conacher up high after a desperate attempt at a stick lift to end his breakaway. What followed was an interesting situation that is seldom seen.

Conacher’s late attempt was his first penalty shot in the NHL, and he used it well.

The high stick drew blood, and because of this, it is automatically a double minor. However, Conacher was also interfered with on a breakaway, so a penalty shot was also to be awarded.

As a result, Conacher received a penalty shot, which canceled out the first two minutes of the double minor, and the rest of the penalty would be enforced after the shot, regardless of the outcome.

Conacher’s late attempt was his first penalty shot in the NHL, and he used it well. Using no fancy moves, Conacher sped straight towards Markstrom and put it quickly over his blocker. This would prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Canucks, as the Lightning would win the game 4-2.

There were a few interesting takeaways from this game. Kucherov couldn’t seem to buy a goal. This wasn’t from a lack of trying or a lack of attempts, he just couldn’t seem to get one past the goaltender. It’s been almost a month since Kucherov has recorded a goal, with his last one coming on January 7th during a 5-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings. He did, however, earn himself two assists which propelled him over the 300 point mark.

Tampa Bay’s callups from the Syracuse Crunch also continued to make an impact tonight. Peca earned an assist and drew a penalty while Conacher scored on his penalty shot. Both have been contributing substantially to the offense of the Lightning during this road trip and have helped their club capture ten of the fourteen available points.

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On Monday, the Tampa Bay Lightning will end their road trip by taking on the struggling Edmonton Oilers. After that, the Lightning will have a homestand of only two games, which will include a rematch against the Canucks, before hitting the road again.

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