The Lightning’s longest road trip of the season started out with promise before the team faded in its final two games in western Canada.
Before returning to Tampa, the Lightning finished their five-game trek with a 6-3 loss to the Flames Saturday afternoon at the Saddledome in Calgary.
As it did two nights earlier in Edmonton, Tampa Bay rallied from an early deficit but couldn’t hold off the Flames.
The Lightning went on the road knowing they needed to play better away from Amalie Arena, and if the goal was to come away with more points than games played — as Lightning coach Jon Cooper said — they did that by winning the first three games of the trip in St. Louis, Seattle and Vancouver, netting six points.
Despite keeping his team in the game with a 35-save effort, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy lost back-to-back starts for the second time this season.
After allowing a power-play goal by Nazem Kadri with 2:02 remaining in the first period, the Lightning scored a pair of goals in a 48-second stretch of the second to take a 2-1 lead.
Steven Stamkos, whose trip was highlighted by his 500th goal Wednesday in Vancouver, scored his fifth goal in the past three games, putting the Lightning on the scoreboard with 9:40 left in the second.
On the next shift, forward Vladislav Namestnikov scored his fourth goal of the season with 8:52 remaining. At that point, the Lightning led but were being outshot 24-10.
Tampa Bay struggled to establish itself in the offensive zone throughout the afternoon.
Tyler Toffoli’s wraparound attempt went off Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and in to tie the game with 7:42 left in the second, and Rasmus Andersson’s shot from the point also hit off Hedman before changing trajectory and getting past Vasilevskiy with 2:40 left in the period.
Dylan Dube’s goal off the rush, which gave Calgary a 4-2 lead 7:40 into the third, was a pinpoint shot that beat Vasilevskiy into the far upper corner.
Tampa Bay’s power play went 0 for 6 and couldn’t convert a four-minute power play following a high-sticking double minor on Blake Coleman.
Moments after pulling Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker, Anthony Cirelli scored to make it a one-goal game with 4:02 left. But the Flames got empty-net goals from Jonathan Huberdeau and Coleman to seal the win.
