2
0
Lightning defense starts to round back into form in low scoring tilt.
DET-1
TB-2
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 26 shots for the victory.
First Period
4:07 TB Colton (4), (Maroon, Borgman)
7:26 TB Point (16), (Hedman, Palat)
Second Period
NO SCORING
Third Period
4:00 DET Erne (8), (Nielsen, Helm)
Victor Hedman and Vasilevskiy were the game’s first and second stars.
The Lightning went through a pretty rough patch defensively over the past several games routinely giving up 38 or more shots three of the last four games. So, with McDonagh coming back in the last game and the Lightning paring down the shot total against to 26 in this game, that’s hopefully a positive trend with Cernak and Rutta still to return. I’m not overly worried about the goal scoring totals, as the Lightning could’ve scored a ton more in this game but for a good performance by Greiss. I’m more worried about the Lightning getting back to having an efficient defense in their own zone that can break out of its own end well and keep the possession pressure on in the other end. They’re starting to get back to that as they get healthier and get more used to the current personnel.
Cal Foote was +1 with 1 shot and 1 hit in 20:20. 20+ minutes despite getting his bell rung on a hit to the head by BP Alumni Adam Erne. Honest to goodness, I look at games against Detroit as a developmental gold mine for the Lightning’s young players. And, as tough as it’s been at times, this spate of injuries has forced Foote to grow up quickly to fill the vacuum. If the benefits of this show up at playoff time, the Lightning could be all the stronger for it.
Ross Colton had another goal on 1 shot with 1 hit in 8:43. He was also 20% on five draws. On the latter point, that’s a couple of rough games in a row in the circles. I wonder if that’s just coincidence or if teams are starting to get a book on the young man.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
