TAMPA, Fla. — For two periods Saturday night, the Lightning couldn’t put the puck anywhere close to the net. The Golden Knights had created a blueprint to containing Tampa Bay’s dangerous offensive attack.
But in that “find-a-way” style the Lightning have assumed all season long, especially in the past month, they orchestrated another late comeback to salvage points from a game in which they probably didn’t deserve any.
After falling into a two-goal deficit and being held to just nine shots through the first two periods, the Lightning scored twice in the final seven minutes of regulation, sending the game to a scoreless back-and-forth 3-on-3 overtime.
After seven rounds of a shootout, Tampa Bay fell 3-2 to Vegas on Mark Stone’s winning goal.
Goaltender Robin Lehner — and a Golden Knights defense that pressured the Lightning every time they entered the offensive zone — held Tampa Bay quiet for most of the game.
After setting up the Lightning’s first goal, Corey Perry tied it with 2:48 left in regulation, credited with the goal when a loose puck leaked behind Lehner and into the back of the net
The Lightning took advantage of the last of three power plays in the third, as Perry made a cross-crease pass to Ross Colton, who scored on the man advantage with 6:48 left, rifling a one-timer from the right circle and cutting Vegas’ lead to 2-1.
But before that, offense was difficult to come by. The Lightning were unable to get attempts through Vegas defenders who always seemed to be surrounding them in the offensive zone.
And Vegas’ forecheck put pressure on the Lightning in their own zone in the first two periods, which made for a busy night for goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Golden Knights appeared to be a step quicker than Tampa Bay on both ends.
The Lightning were outshot 8-1 midway through the first period, and Vegas opened the scoring on a goal by former Lightning prospect Brett Howden. He put in a rebound off Will Carrier’s initial shot 5:25 into the game.
Carrier scored the second goal on a wraparound attempt that hit off Lightning defenseman Fredrik Claesson and into the back of the net with 5:04 remaining in the second period.
Vasilevskiy (25 saves) kept the Lightning in the game early, making some remarkable saves throughout the game, including a pair on Reilly Smith in the second period. He stopped Smith’s first shot with this glove, then stretched across the goal for a left-pad save on the second attempt.
