Shorthanded Bolts win a wild one in Los Angeles
Tampa Bay played down two skaters on Tuesday but still defeated the Kings 6-4
© Getty Images
Things got off to an odd start for Tampa Bay when the lineups were released pregame. Jan Rutta was added to an injury report that already featured Erik Cernak and Zach Bogosian, forcing the Bolts to play down two skaters and with only four defensemen.
When the game began, the two teams went back-and-forth trading goals.
The second period alone featured five-goals and a pair of lead changes. Both squads scored shorthanded goals to take the lead, only to have the other side answer back on the remainder of the power play to tie the game once again.
Tampa Bay took control in the third period, however, outscoring the Kings 3-1 over the final 20 minutes to escape with the win.
On a night when the Lightning's D-corps were severely outmanned, Victor Hedman still led the way, scoring twice and adding an assist while logging over 32 minutes of ice time.
Tampa Bay will get a slight breather now, with two days before they're scheduled to play the Ducks in Anaheim on Friday night.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
TBL 1, LAK 0
13:17 Victor Hedman (8) - Unassisted
Anze Kopitar chased down a puck behind the Lightning net and tried to cycle it to Olli Maata at the left point, but the pass skipped past the defenseman's stick. Victor Hedman had followed Kopitar around the net, giving him the speed to chase down the loose puck and create a breakaway. In alone, Hedman snapped a wrist shot past Cal Petersen's glove to stake Tampa Bay to the lead.
2nd Period
TBL 1, LAK 1
8:52 Blake Lizotte (5) - Unassisted
Brayden Point had possession in the corner but was tripped by Blake Lizotte and stripped of the puck. Lizotte then stepped to the front of the net and lifted a shot top shelf on Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game at one.
LAK 2, TBL 1
11:44 Alex Iafallo (11) - Unassisted - SHG
The Lightning's second power play of the night got off to a bad start when Mikhail Sergachev turned the puck over to Alex Iafallo in the slot. Iafallo quickly fired his shot past Vasilevskiy, who was not prepared for a Los Angeles scoring chance to come about so quickly.
LAK 2, TBL 2
13:03 Nikita Kucherov (5) - Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos - PPG
Luckily for the Bolts, Iafallo's shorthanded goal came early in the power play, giving them plenty of time with the man advantage to respond. Seconds after Hedman knocked a puck out of midair to keep the play alive in the Kings zone, he worked the puck to Nikita Kucherov at the right circle for a blistering one-timer that Petersen couldn't keep out.
TBL 3, LAK 2
14:40 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (5) - Mathieu Joseph - SHG
Tampa Bay went back in front less than two minutes later on a shorthanded goal from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare that was set-up by Mathieu Joseph. After grabbing a loose puck at center ice, Joseph avoided four Kings skaters in the offensive zone and threaded a pass through to Bellemare wide-open in the slot. Bellemare made a move to his backhand and slipped the puck past a sprawling Petersen.
TBL 3, LAK 3
16:06 Arthur Kaliyev (7) - Sean Durzi, Rasmus Kupari - PPG
The script got flipped on the Lightning, as after taking the lead on the shorthanded goal, the Kings equalized before their power play ended. Arthur Kaliyev tried to feed Dustin Brown at the far post, but Hedman inadvertently tipped the pass past Vasilevskiy.
3rd Period
TBL 4, LAK 3
10:43 Victor Hedman (9) - Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point
Nikita Kucherov worked the puck free off the far boards and fed Hedman at the top of the slot for the go-ahead goal midway through the third period.
TBL 5, LAK 3
15:20 Mathieu Joseph (6) - Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev
The Bolts got a much-needed insurance tally with less than five minutes to play from Joseph. With plenty of traffic in front, Petersen lost sight of the puck at the point, allowing Ryan McDonagh to feed Mathieu Joseph down low for a one-timer into an open net.
TBL 6, LAK 3
17:18 Steven Stamkos (19) - Alex Killorn - ENG
Steven Stamkos put to rest any chance of a Los Angeles comeback attempt with an empty net goal at 17:18.
TBL 6, LAK 4
19:05 Phillip Danault (10) - Viktor Arvidsson
The Kings did get a goal back in the final minute of regulation. Off a face-off win, Viktor Arvidsson's shot hit the post and Phillip Danault pounced on the rebound to get Los Angeles back within two.
