3 things we learned from Lightnings win in Las Vegas – Tampa Bay Times

Tuesday nights game in Las Vegas was anything but ordinary.

The Lightnings 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 wouldnt be on the bench because he had entered the NHLs 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 midway through 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 Golden Knights, 4-3.

It certainly wasnt the recipe that we want to continue, Stamkos said. But given the circumstances and whats gone on here the past week, we found a way to win a game that we probably shouldnt have, and well 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.

Here are three things we learned from the game at T-Mobile Arena:

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 Lightnings third line sparked the turnaround by controlling the tempo, 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 Killorns 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.

One shift can change momentum of the game, Stamkos said. (The third line) went out there and had a good typical grind shift, made a great play and scored a goal, and we score the next shift, I think. Its a game of momentum.

When Vegas Nicolas Roy danced through two Lightning defenders and beat Vasilevskiy with a forehand shot over his glove, the star goaltender showed a rare sign of frustration. But the reality was his teammates were allowing too many chances. Roys goal, which put the Golden Knights up 3-1 just over eight minutes into the second period, came on Vegas 26th shot of the game.

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Vasilevskiy made 38 saves, stopping the final 15 shots he faced, to improve his road record to 8-1-1. He got help from defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who cleared a puck that was heading into the net during a third-period penalty kill, but remained poised through a chaotic 6-on-5 in the final two minutes. During that stretch, Vasilevskiy faced nine shot attempts and four on goal.

It all starts with elite goaltending, so thats what a guy can do like Vasy, Stamkos said. He can keep you in a game. And when youre not playing well, he keeps it within one or two and gives us some hope at least when youre not playing well. So we saw that (Tuesday).

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.

Its awesome, Fortier said. Everyone talks about your first goal, and it was was just fun to get one (Tuesday), and Ill remember this moment for the rest of my life.

A side note: Just because Fortier wasnt playing, it didnt mean he wasnt getting valuable ice time. In Sundays practice, he had Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point as his linemates. Fortier held his own playing the rush with two of the leagues most dynamic offensive players as they work their way back from injuries.

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3 things we learned from Lightnings win in Las Vegas - Tampa Bay Times