7
0
Lightning throttle Buffalo in home finale.
BUF-4
TB-7
Jonas Johansson allowed four goals on 25 shots for the win. Two of those were garbage time tallies with the game well in hand.
First Period
16:35 TB Guentzel (39), (Hagel, Cirelli)
19:37 BUF Kulich (15), (Thompson)
19:52 BUF Clifton (1), (Krebs, Quinn)
Second Period
3:02 TB McDonagh (4), (Hagel, Cirelli)
6:34 TB Kucherov (35), (Hedman, Gourde)
14:21 TB Geekie (7), (Goncalves, Paul)
16:45 TB Lilleberg (1), (Chaffee, Goncalves)
Third Period
2:39 TB Kucherov (36), (unassisted)
8:39 BUF Tuch (35), (Dahlin, Peterka)(PP)
13:12 TB Guentzel (40), (Kucherov, Paul)(PP)
19:23 BUF Lafferty (4), (Dahlin)
Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, and Conor Geekie were the game’s three stars. Lilleberg was robbed.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The game began with a black cloud hanging over the club with the announcement Oliver Bjorkstrand is out week-to-week and likely will be unavailable for the start of the playoffs, which only added to the urgency of the Conor Geekie recall (and, maybe somehow, a positive resolution of the Isaac Howard saga). The Lightning did nothing to break up those black clouds in an unfocused mess of a First Period capped by not one, but two goals with under a minute to play in the frame.
The sun came out in the Second Period. The Lightning reeled off four straight including Kucherov’s 35th of the season which likely will clinch the scoring title for him for the second straight season. Much as he did when chasing his 100th assist last season, in my opinion he started playing tight trying to get the last point he needed to secure the crown and you could see how much better he played when the monkey finally crawled off his back. Let’s be clear: given what a large percentage of the Lightning’s offense Kucherov is involved in, they can’t play well unless he’s playing well. Especially if their newly minted third line is about to be hobbled by Bjorkstrand’s absence.
The came Conor Geekie’s goal, which featured his plus NHL shot/release and the deadly finish he found down in Syracuse. He’s been rolling and that’s not the first of that type of goal that he’s scored in the last month and a half or so. And then, the coup de grace. Current and reigning Cory Cross Goat Horns Trophy holder (given to the defenseman Lightning fans most want to blame everything including famine and world hunger on) Emil Lilleberg finally scored his first NHL goal. I feel glad for the young man. He’s come a long way in the last couple of seasons, but that bit of payoff has eluded him.
Toronto all but sewed up the Atlantic Division title today, so the Lightning have home ice in the opening round left to play for in the final two games of the regular season. I believe the magic number for that is just two points either gained by the Lightning or dropped by Sunrise. And then we’ll see Matthew Tkachuk proudly flaunt that he never was that hurt and he’s been bar hopping the last two months in a selfless sacrifice to clear the cap room for Seth Jones while Sunrise’s three fans wax hypocritically about it. It’ll be great. Scumbag franchise gonna scumbag. In the words of Sam Jackson, yes, they deserve to die. And, I hope they burn in hell. How’s that for rivalry?
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
