3
0
Goals, goals, goals.
EDM-4
TB-6
Jonas Johansson allowed 4 goals on 43 shots for the win.
First Period
3:39 EDM Ryan (1), (Nugent-Hopkins, Ceci)(SH)
8:31 EDM Hamblin (1), (unassisted)
19:09 TB Kucherov (12), (Stamkos, Point)(PP)
Second Period
12:56 TB Kucherov (13), (Sergachev, Raddysh)
15:55 EDM Ryan (2), (Foegele, Ekholm)
Third Period
3:54 TB Jeannot (3), (Eyssimont, Sergachev)
8:04 EDM Bouchard (4), (Nugent-Hopkins)
9:28 TB Stamkos (6), (Kucherov, Point)(PP)
10:07 TB Glendening (2), (Koepke, Raddysh)
19:05 TB Sergachev (2), (Paul)(EN)
Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev were the game’s first and second stars.
I’m sort of torn on how much stock to put into this win. I’ve seen a lot of folks suggesting this might be a watershed moment in the early season, but I also see a Lightning team that got outshot 43-24 and won by river-siding a really bad defensive team that’s been really extra bad defensively this season. The xG, particularly at 5v5, were not kind to Tampa Bay in this game, although Edmonton poured on a healthy dose of that after Glendening’s GWG. I’m conflicted, but ultimately style points matter less at the moment than the raw math. And, having bagged the last couple of games, the Lightning sit on 20 points through 18 games. Win the next two and they’re back on minimum playoff pace. More realistically, go .500 in the next two and the hole is only two points around the time Vasilevskiy is reportedly due to return from injury. Would a lot of people have taken that outcome if offered at the start of the season? I’m not necessarily in that camp, but I suspect a lot of folks in and around the team would’ve.
Alex Barre-Boulet played 6:57.
Darren Raddysh had 2 helpers and was +1 with 1 hit and 2 blocked shots in 16:49. This was a minute or two less than he’s been getting and the outcome seems better.
Cole Koepke had a helper on the GWG and was +1 with 3 hits in 8:44. Having watched Koepke struggle so mightily in his 17 games with the team at the start of last season, it’s heartening to see him get on the board right away in this latest recall. I was a little confused by the organization’s choice to recall Koepke because I view him really as the American version of Merala, who they just sent down. I’d be happy to be proven wrong, though.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
