6
0
Lightning fall just short against desperate Hurricanes.
CAR-3
TB-2 (OT)
Tampa Bay Leads the Series 2-1
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed 3 goals on 27 shots for the loss. I can’t find extreme fault in any of the three goals, but from a situational save standpoint the Lightning have been getting that one extra key save from Vasiy that they just didn’t get tonight.
First Period
NO SCORING
Second Period
5:15 CAR Pesce (2), (Svechnikov, Aho)
7:40 CAR (6), (Teravainen, Slavin)
8:57 TB Point (6), (Kucherov, Stamkos)(PP)
16:18 TB Killorn (6), (Kucherov, Point)(PP)
Third Period
NO SCORING
Overtime
5:57 CAR Staal (5), (Aho, Teravainen)(PP)
Brayden Point was the game’s third star.
Honestly, there was a lot to like in that game. I think if the Lightning put that effort on the ice again they win 7 or 8 times out of ten. They won the xG battle for the first time in the series and showed marked improvement in several areas of the game. Their forecheck was more effective and they carried possession. Their power play went from being a catastrophe in Game One and Game Two to being dangerous thanks to Nikita Kucherov deciphering the Carolina PK. And their PK, contrary to the winning goal, really did another good job on the Hurricanes just as it did per the eye test in Game One and Game Two.
That’s hockey.
Carolina might’ve deserved better in one or two of the games at home and the Lightning might’ve deserved better in this one. The big question, at this hour, is whether the performance we saw tonight marks a swing in the possession battle in the series as well as signals that the Lightning power play has regained its lethality. If so, the Lightning just need to manage the puck better and mind their line changes better to avoid Hurricanes rush chances and they should have this series in hand. Game Four will tell the tale, though.
Ross Colton had 1 hit in 9:27.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
