3
0
Tampa Bay gets back on track at home.
CBJ-2
TB-5
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 32 shots for the win in a quality start to erase the game in Pittsburgh.
First Period
16:31 TB Point (44), (Kucherov, Duclair)
19:17 CBJ Marchenko (22), (Sillinger, Severson)
Second Period
7:13 CBJ Marchenko (23), (Gaudreau, Werenski)(PP)
14:17 TB Stamkos (37), (Kucherov, Hedman)(PP)
Third Period
5:40 TB Cirelli (20), (Hagel, Stamkos)
5:56 TB Stamkos (38), (Hagel, Cernak)
17:57 TB Stamkos (39), (Kucherov)(EN)
Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov were the game’s first and second stars.
Tonight was big from the standpoint that the team proved the match in Pittsburgh was an aberration and not the start of a new trend. True, the team didn’t bring their A intensity level for the opening 40 minutes of the game, but ultimately they did overwhelm Columbus. In the process, Anthony Cirelli secured the first 20 goal season of his career, Steven Stamkos had a hat trick that placed him on the precipice of an improbable 40 goal campaign, and Nikita Kucherov’s pulled to 96 in his assault on the century mark milestone for assists.
Kucherov’s season long torrid pace aside, Cirelli and Stamkos’ production seemed wildly unlikely before the deadline. But, the acquisition of Anthony Duclair rebalanced the lines by sliding Brandon Hagel down to Stamkos’ second line, getting those two players away from other teams’ best checkers and unlocking Stamkos and Cirelli’s firepower at evens. A relatively minor and inexpensive trade completely reshaped the fortunes of the Lightning’s season. JBB again proving his warlock status as a GM.
Mitchell Chaffee had 7 hits and 1 blocked shot in 14:59.
Emil Lilleberg was +2 with 2 shots, 7 hits, and 3 blocked shots in 17:52.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
