Anaheim Goalie John Gibson made 31 saves & Right Wing Rickard Rakell scored two goals helping the Ducks beat Tampa Bay 4-1 on Saturday Night at Amalie Arena. The lost was the Lightning's first home loss of the season.
Goalie Peter Budaj got the start for Tampa Bay in net, his second of the season. He faced some action early on as Anaheim had the first four of five shots on net in the game. But with a little less than four minutes gone in the first period, the Lightning got the best scoring chance of the game when Center Vladislav Namestnikov broke in but was turned aside by Ducks Goalie John Gibson. That scoring chance seemed to wake up the Lightning pushing them to lead the shots on goal six to four after the halfway point in the first period.
The Lightning eventually got the first power play opportunity with just over seven minutes left in the first period when Ducks Center Ryan Getzlaf went into the penalty box for high-sticking. But the Lightning were unable to muster any strong scoring chances on the power play, registering just one shot on net during the two man advantage.
That man advantage was the only one for either team in the first period. And the first period ended with no scoring in those 20 minutes, although the Lightning had another great chance when C Steven Stamkos had an opportunity in the slot but Gibson made a blocker save.
Tampa Bay ended the opening period out-shooting Anaheim 10-5, with Budaj facing little if no strong chances by the Ducks. The second period started a little like the first that is until about 90 seconds into the period, when Lightning Center Yanni Gourde had a goal-mouth chance but somehow was unable to raise the puck over a vulnerable Gibson, who lied across the crease.
After that missed opportunity by Gourde, the Lightning maintained control of the ice & the Ducks took their second penalty & the second of the game overall when Left Wing Nick Ritchie was called for slashing with under eight minutes gone in the second period. The Lightning had a few more scoring chances on this power play including shots by Namestnikov but again Gibson kept the puck out of the net.
After the Ducks killed off the Ritchie penalty, the Lightning were called for the first penalty of the night when Right Wing Ryan Callahan was hit with an interference penalty in the neutral zone. But unlike the Lightning, Anaheim took advantage of the power play when Rakell walked in from atop the face-off circle & got a screened shot past Budaj, giving Anaheim a 1-0 lead.
The two teams traded scoring chances for the next five minutes until the Lightning were called for another penalty. With a little more than four minutes left in the period Tampa Bay was called for too many men on the ice. And again Anaheim wasted little time taking advantage of a quality scoring chance when Defenseman Brandon Montour scored one minute into the power play. But that power play goal seemed to wake up the Bolts because with just over two minutes left in the period Left Wing Chris Kunitz cut the Ducks lead in half with his second goal of the season. And as much pressure as the Lightning applied near the end of the period, it was Anaheim who ended the period right when Defenseman Hampus Lindholm scored their third goal, right before the clock had all zeroes. The referee confirmed the goal through replay & the Lightning ended the second trailing 3-1.
At the start of the third period, the Lightning were out-shooting the Ducks 22-13. And the period started slow, similar to the first with both teams feeling their way through the neutral zone. That is until the Ducks Right Wing Jakob Silfverberg was called for hooking.
That man advantage went by with the Lightning trying to set up on the power play but unable to get their power play units to set up any strong chances. And after killing off that penalty, the Ducks made it a three goal lead with a strong rush immediately after getting to even strength when Rakell scored his second goal of the night.
The Lightning pulled Budaj with over four minutes left in the game. But with the exception of a few hacks near the end of the game, they were unable to take advantage of the extra skater. The Lightning ended up out-shooting the Ducks 32-21 for the game.
The Lightning go across the state to try & bounce back from the loss when they take on the Florida Panthers this Monday. Coverage begins with the pre-game show on 970 WFLA at 7pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
NONE
SECOND PERIOD
1. ANH - PPG - Rakell - (Montour, Getzlaf) - 10:13
2. ANH - PPG - Montour - (Getzlaf) - 16:55
3. TBL - Kunitz - (Brown, Callahan) -17:52
4. ANH - Lindholm - (Wagner) - 19:59
3RD PERIOD
1. ANH - Rakell - (Getzlaf, Perry) - 8:59
PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. ANH- Getzlaf- (High-Sticking) - 12:59
2ND PERIOD
1. ANH- Ritchie- (Slashing) - 7:15
2. TBL- Callahan- (Interference) - 9:16
3. ANH- Manson- (Interference) - 13:48
4. TBL- Bench Penalty- (Too Many Men On Ice)
3RD PERIOD
1. ANH- Silfverberg- (Hooking) - 6:18