Back-up Goalie Peter Budaj made 28 saves in giving Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy the night off & both Center Steven Stamkos & Leftwing Vladislav Namestnikov had a goal & two assists to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 at Amalie Arena. The win was the Lightning's third straight win & in each win, Tampa Bay has scored at least five goals.
With Budaj getting his fifth start of the year & his first since November 25th, the Lightning night got off to a rough start when less than 90 seconds into the game, Avalanche Center Gabriel Landeskog came in front of the net from the left circle to sneak the puck past Budaj. And it may have been that Landeskog goal that woke up Tampa Bay but it only took the Lightning 25 seconds to answer when Center Vladislav Namestnikov sent a pass off the boards to Stamkos, who then skated in & shot the puck up high past Avalanche Goalie Semyon Varlamov.
The Lightning had not one but two power play opportunities against the Avalanche, the worst team in the NHL vs the power play but it wasn't until less than a minute after Tampa Bay's second power play did they get their second goal courtesy of a long tip in from Leftwing Chris Kunitz off a pass from Defenseman Dan Girardi.
After the second Lightning goal, Tampa Bay applied more pressure looking to increase their lead but after a mistake in their offensive end blue line, the Avalanche broke into the Lightning defense, which looked like semi-breakaway for Defense Erik Johnson. And Johnson skated in, waited & took a shot from inside the right circle, beating Budaj between his pads to tied the score.
Tampa Bay, with the help of two power plays outshot Colorado 17-7 in the first period. But with just under two minutes gone in the second period, the Lightning took their first penalty of the game, when Defenseman Victor Hedman was called for hooking. That Avalanche power play along with some sloppy play by Tampa Bay, kept the Lightning from getting their first shot on net until after six minutes was gone in the period.
During the first seven minutes of the period, Colorado outshot Tampa Bay 5-1 but it was the Lightning that broke the tie game. After some strong pressure from a makeshift line of Namestnikov, Stamkos & Johnson, the action around the net ended with Namestnikov banking a shot off Varlamov, for his 12th of the season.
Although the Lightning started the second period slowly, Tampa Bay outshot Colorado by one in the period, 10-9. And that momentum from the end of the second period carried over into the beginning of the third after the Lightning went on the power play & finally cashed in against the worst penalty killing unit in the league when Leftwing Alex Killorn gave the Lightning a two goal lead & their first power play goal of the night.
Trailing by two goals & with the benefit of a penalty on Defenseman Anton Stralman, Colorado tried to make good on a six on four advantage but the Lightning ended up recording the last goal of the game, a shorthanded goal on a long shot by Center Brayden Point into an empty net.
Tampa Bay goes for their fourth straight win on Saturday night when the Winnipeg Jets come to Amalie Arena. Coverage begins on 970 WFLA at 6:30pm, with the puck dropping at 7pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. COL - Landeskog - (Mackinnon) - 1:21
2. TBL - Stamkos - (Namestnikov, Johnson) - 1:46
3. TBL - Kunitz - (Girardi, Paquette) - 13:36
4. COL - Johnson - (Andrighetto) - 18:22
2ND PERIOD
1. TBL - Namestnikov - (Johnson, Stamkos) - 8:09
3RD PERIOD
1. TBL- PPG- Killorn - (Stamkos, Namestnikov) - 4:57
2. TBL- SHG- Point - (Gourde) - 16:41
PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. COL - Soderberg - (Delay Of Game) - 5:44
2. COL - Landeskog - (Slashing) - 10:44
2ND PERIOD
1. TBL - Hedman - (Hooking) - 1:45
2. COL - Varlamov - (Tripping) - 11:01
3. TBL - Sergachev - (Cross-Checking) - 16:21
3RD PERIOD
1. COL - Rantanen - (Holding The Stick) - 3:37
2. COL - Landeskog - (Tripping) - 11:38
3. TBL - Stralman - (Hooking) - 14:47