TAMPA, Fla. — This was no ordinary game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s three-game road trip out west ended up being just one because of mass postponements triggered by teams hamstrung by COVID-19 issues. Less than 90 minutes before the start, the Lightning announced that head coach Jon Cooper wouldn’t be on the bench because he had entered the NHL’s COVID protocol. Until the puck dropped, there was question about whether the game even would be played.
Aside from the uncertainty, the game featured two teams leading their respective divisions that are potential Stanley Cup contenders.
Steven Stamkos scored on the power play in the third period, giving him a franchise-record 65 game-winning goals, as the Lightning (20-6-4) rallied from two down to beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3.
“It certainly wasn’t the recipe that we want to continue,” Stamkos said. “But given the circumstances and what’s gone on here the past week ... we found a way to win a game that we probably shouldn’t have, and we’ll certainly take it.”
Tampa Bay has won eight of its last nine games and heads into the holiday break with a league-high 44 points.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 38 saves, improving his road record to 8-1-1.
Here are three things we learned from the game at T-Mobile Arena:
—Patience pays off on the power play
The Lightning power play isn’t as dynamic without Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, and minus those two weapons it’s easy for defenses to home in on Steven Stamkos. But by moving the puck around the horn, the Lightning were able to free up Stamkos for the go-ahead goal midway through the third period.
Tampa Bay lulled the Vegas penalty kill away from Stamkos, giving him an open snipe from the left circle for his team-high 14th goal of the season.
The power play is still a work in progress — its is 3 for 21 over the past five games — but help is on the way if Point returns after the holiday break as expected.
—The biggest momentum-builder is puck possession
For most of the first two periods, the Lightning were overwhelmed by Vegas’ speed. The Golden Knights dominated puck possession by executing their forecheck, taking away passing lanes and forcing the Lightning away from the front of the net.
After falling behind by two goals, Tampa Bay rebounded by slowing the game down and keeping things simple, resulting in not only its first stretch of sustained offensive zone time, but also two goals over a 43-second stretch late in the second period to tie the game at 3.
The Lightning’s third line sparked the turnaround by forcing the puck deep and getting to the scoring areas.
Corey Perry parked behind the net and pinpointed a pass to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare for an open look in front of the net to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Lightning then used the boards, bouncing passes off them, to establish zone time and create space in front. Alex Killorn’s shot from above the right circle was rebounded into the net by Anthony Cirelli to tie the game with 2:10 remaining in the second period.
—Fortier had a night to remember
Rookie forward Gabriel Fortier had been a healthy scratch for the two games before Tuesday, the odd man out when Cirelli returned to the lineup.
But Fortier drew into the lineup Tuesday, playing in the fourth-line spot typically occupied by rookie Boris Katchouk.
Fortier took advantage, scoring his first NHL goal 6:05 into the game. Mikhail Sergachev took possession of the puck in the Vegas zone and found Fortier on the left side, giving him an open slap shot at the left dot that beat Vegas goaltender Laurent Brossoit to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
A side note: Just because Fortier wasn’t playing, it didn’t mean he wasn’t getting valuable ice time. In Sunday’s practice, he had Kucherov and Point as his linemates. And Fortier held his own playing the rush with two of the league’s most dynamic offensive players as they work their way back from injuries.
