5 Takeaways from the Lightning’s OT Win over LA

The Tampa Bay Lightning got back in the win column Tuesday night on home ice against the Los Angeles Kings with a 3-2 overtime victory. The Lightning had to come from behind on two different occasions before coming out on top for the sixth win in seven games.

Tuesday marked the third straight time the Lightning and Kings found their way to overtime while meeting at Amalie Arena. And once again, Tampa Bay came out on top in the extra period after earning shootout victories on the previous two occasions.

Let’s break down how it happened.

1. Having to Claw Back.

For the third straight game, the Lightning surrendered the game’s opening goal in the first period. Los Angeles opened the scoring prior to the halfway point of the first on a powerplay goal from defenseman, Drew Doughty. Doughty drove home a rolling puck to get the scoring started. Tampa Bay would level the score with a Victor Hedman goal late in the first period before the Kings would retake the lead early in the second period. Tampa Bay never held a lead in regulation.

2. Raddysh Stays Hot.

Ever since finally breaking through for his first goal in the NHL, Taylor Raddysh has been on fire. He scored in the second period Tuesday night, deflecting Jan Rutta’s shot in the slot. The goal marked the fourth goal in six games for Raddysh. The floodgates seem to have opened for Raddysh over the course of the last six games as he has appeared to be playing with much more confidence and has had some results to show for it. Early in the season, the chances were there but he just could not punch home his first. Now, things are going for him.

3. Vasilevskiy’s Big Stops

Andrei Vasilevskiy once again had a big night in the Lightning net. He made 28 saves on 30 Kings shots. Even better than the number of saves, was the timing of them. Vasilevskiy made some big saves in the third period to keep the game even at 2-2. His biggest stop of the night came in overtime, as he robbed LA’s Anze Kopitar on a breakaway. Tampa Bay would later score the overtime winner for the seventh win of the season coming in shootout or overtime. They have Vasilevksiy to thank big time for that.

4. Joseph Gets the Winner

Mathieu Joseph ended up getting the overtime winner, the first of his career. Joseph has seen an increase in ice time due to some of the injuries facing the Lightning, including some chances recently in 3-on-3 overtime. Joseph finished off an odd-man rush with Ross Colton on a shot that eventually found its way in off a Kings’ defenseman. The goal was Joseph’s fifth of the year and earned him first star of the game honors. Joseph was flying around all night, and he earned the winner to show for his work.

5. Tied for First

The win put the Lightning in a tie atop the Atlantic Division prior to the conclusion of the Maple Leafs-Oilers game. While it may still be a bit early to closely follow the day in, day out standings, this is an impressive feat. Without Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, the Lightning have done a remarkable job keeping pace. Their position in the standings is especially impressive considering the competitiveness of the Atlantic division. Three of the top four teams in the league’s overall standings hail from the Atlantic and the Lightning are very much in the thick of it.