3
0
Lightning cut down by Espo’s Rule in goaltending duel.
TB-0
DET-1 (SO)
Curtis McElhinney stopped all 15 shots he faced in regulation and OT before conceding to four of eight shooters in the penalty shot session for the SO loss. When you’re backup tosses a shutout, you gotta score a goal for him. Have to.
First Period
NO SCORING
Second Period
NO SCORING
Third Period
NO SCORING
Overtime
NO SCORING
Shootout
TB- Colton, Point, Johnson
DET- Vrana, Zadina, Filppula, Gagner
McElhinney was the game’s third star.
There’s no moral victories this late in the regular season when you’re jockeying for playoff seeding, but the Lightning did play another strong two-way game calibrating their sights for a long postseason run. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t get any pucks past Greiss and when they failed to convert on a long 5-on-3 in the Third Period, you knew the double edged sword that is Espo’s Rule was likely to fall on them eventually.
Alex Barre-Boulet had 1 shot and 1 hit in 13:45. He also got stopped in the Shootout on a less-than-artistic attempt to get Greiss five hole.
Ross Colton had 2 penalty minutes, 2 shots, 2 hits, and was 80% on 5 draws in 10:57. He scored his Shootout attempt on a pretty nasty deke turned quick release shot to the far post and in.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
