Lightning Remain In Search Of First Victory On Home Ice
Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning (2-2-1, [5-points]) are still looking for their first win on home ice after falling to the Colorado Avalanche (2-3-0 [4-points]) 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday night at Amalie Arena.
Cale Makar scored the game winner in the sixth round of the shootout after Darcy Kuemper thwarted Anthony Cerelli to begin the round. Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Nathan McKinnon scored in regulation and Kuemper stopped 29 shots. The victory ended Colorado’s three game losing streak.
Mathieu Joseph, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point each scored in regulation and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 shots. It was just the Lightning’s second loss in the last eight meetings against the Avalanche. The two teams meet for the second and final regular season matchup in Colorado on December 18th.
Despite not having a lead in regulation in any of their first five games this season, the Lightning have been able to grind out five points. “It’s good and bad.” said Captain Steven Stamkos. “The good part is we have five points and we haven’t played with a lead. The bad part is we’re a pretty good team when we have a lead so we have to find a way to get it.”
Chasing the game isn’t something that Lightning Coach Jon Cooper believes is going to continue. “It’s not going to last forever.” he said. “These are games you don’t get the lead in. It just so happens they’re the first five of the year, but give the guys credit they picked up five points in those games.”
As for the overall play by the Lightning. Both Stamkos and Cooper agreed that the team took too many penalties. “Penalties killed us tonight, ruined the flow of the game.” Stamkos said. Adding that the team is trying to get off to better starts and taking two or three penalties in the first period hurt, but the sixth one where Colorado scored to push the lead to 3-2 pushed the Lightning into what Stamkos said was “survival mode.”
Cooper liked a lot of what he saw out of his team but as alluded to, he didn’t like the penalties. “We took way too many penalties tonight. That’s unacceptable, we can control that.” he said. “Did we agree with all the calls? No, especially the last one.”
That last penalty was a call on Andrei Vasilevskiy for tripping. “I’d never seen that. A guy goes in the paint and the goalie’s protecting against the wrap around and he gets a tripping penalty.” The Lightning had killed off five penalties at that point but Nathan McKinnon scored seconds into the sixth to give the Avalanche the 3-2 lead.
Brayden Point scored the game tying goal with 2:35 remaining in the game. His goal was the third goal the Bolts have scored 6-on-5 this season and their fifth overall with the extra attacker.
Stamkos Moves Into Second Place On Lightning’s All Time Scoring List:
Steven Stamkos had a goal and assist to give him 875 career points. This moves him into second place on the Lightning’s all-time franchise scoring list ahead of Vincent Lecavalier and now only 79 points to pass the great Marty St. Louis.
Lightning Notes:
- The Lightning allowed the games first goal. They have surrendered the first goal in all five of their games this season.
- The Bolts were held scoreless in the first period and remain the only team in the NHL to be held scoreless in the first period.
- Mathieu Joseph scored his first goal to tie the game in the second period. It was his first point of the season. Anthony Cirelli (3) and Alex Killorn (1) picked up assists.
- Steven Stamkos scored his fourth goal of the season tying the game at 2-2 in the third period. Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh each picked up their first assist of the year.
- Stamkos has scored more goals (8) against Colorado than any other player in franchise history.
- Brayden Point scored an extra-attacker goal with 2:35 to go in regulation. It was his fifth goal of the season. Victor Hedman (7th) and Steven Stamkos (5th) each were credited with an assists.
- It was Stamkos’ 875th career point moving him ahead Vincent Lecavalier and into second place on the Lightning’s All-Time Scoring List.
- The Lightning, while winless at home this season did pick up their first point at home.
- It’s the first time the Bolts have lost three or more at home to open a season since dropping the first four at home during the 2008-2009 season.
Banged Up Bolts:
Zach Bogosian (lower body, out 4-6 weeks) is missing his fourth gaem. Nikita Kucherov (out indefinitely) is missing his second game. Gemel Smith (lower body injury, out indefinitely) is missing his fifth game. Cal Foote (finger surgery) is missing his fifth game but was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL for a conditioning assignment and should be returning to the Lightning soon.
Up Next For Lightning:
Tampa Bay heads back on the road for a back-to-back affair against the Buffalo Sabres on October 25th and the Pittsburgh Penguins on the 26th. Puck drop for both games is 7:00 pm.
