4
0
Tampa Bay comes off the canvas swinging.
WSH-3
TB-6
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 22 shots for the win.
First Period
1:23 TB Sergachev (3), (Stamkos, Perbix)
8:19 TB Kucherov (7), (Sergachev, Hagel)(PP)
11:12 TB Perbix (3), (Killorn, Sergachev)
16:22 TB Sergachev (4), (Stamkos, Kucherov)(PP)
Second Period
18:04 WSH Sheary (6), (Kuznetsov, Mantha)
Third Period
13:11 TB Koepke (1), (Point, Maroon)
16:59 WSH Eller (3), (Johansson, VanRiemsdyk)
17:16 TB Paul (5), (Killorn)(EN)
17:58 WSH Hathaway (2), (Dowd)
Mikhail Sergachev, Nikita Kucherov, and Brandon Hagel were the game’s three stars.
After face planting in the nation’s capitol, the Lightning got a sharp challenge from the coaching staff and for the most part they answered the bell. Whether this is the start of something bigger, I can’t say. The mental lapses at the end of the game give me pause and blemish an otherwise fantastic night where the team finally got some puck luck as a function of creating some luck through good play. They’ll draw in energy player Rudolfs Balcers now who was claimed off waivers from Sunrise and hopefully get some RHD reinforcements with Cernak, Foote, and Bogosian sure to be available soon.
With 5 games remaining in the second 10-game segment of the season, the Lightning need to collect seven of the remaining ten possible points. Tonight was a really big deal for the team to try to keep on reasonable playoff pace, but if they let off the gas now like they did at the end of the game there’s a world of hurt awaiting, because they need to play .700 hockey these next five games to stay on pace.
Cole Koepke had his first NHL goal to go with 1 shot and 5 hits in 12:14. With Balcers coming in, we might soon see Koepke go down to Syracuse so it’s heartening he got on the board before the roster axe potentially falls.
Nick Perbix had 1 goal and 1 assist and was +3 with a 1 shot, 1 hit, and 1 blocked shot in 15:33. He’s been like finding $100 bill on the sidewalk. His spot in Tampa seems assured and after tonight my money’s back on Myers being pushed down to Syracuse to make room for Bogosian. His matador-like defending on the Caps’ final goal only underscores that, even though Cal Foote skates with all the pace of the spreading of the tectonic plates, you simply cannot trust Phil Myers. Maybe Ben Groulx can do some warlockery to fix him.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
