Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 35 shots he saw for his third shutout of the season, while Ondrej Palat's first period goal proved to be the difference as the Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up a three-game road trip with a 2-0 whitewashing of the Dallas Stars Tuesday at American Airlines Center.
Both sides had opportunities early, but it was Tampa Bay that took advantage, as Steven Stamkos used a rush up the middle of the ice to find Palat by the right hashmark, beating Anton Khudobin with a one-time off the short side post and in for his seventh goal of the year.
The second period saw Dallas get a couple of power play opportunities, including a four-minute man-advantage on a double-minor to Victor Hedman, but Vasilevskiy would ensure that despite being out shot 13-2 in the middle 20 minutes.
The Lightning finally got some breathing room midway through the third period, with Mikhail Sergachev wristed a shot past Khudobin for his second goal of the season.
Tampa Bay had just one second of power play time until the end of the game, when Dallas took a bench minor for too many men on the ice, and Radek Faksa would finish the game in the penalty box after boarding Victor Hedman.
The Lightning improve to 10-1 following a loss this year, with Vasilevskiy going 7-0-0 in games following a loss.
Tampa Bay (36-9-2) returns home for the final two games leading in to the All-Star break, beginning Thursday when the Toronto Maple Leafs (28-15-2) come to Amalie Arena. Face-off is scheduled for 7:30 and can be heard on 970 WFLA and on Lightning Power Play on iHeartRadio.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Period
- TBL: GOAL - Ondrej Palat (7). ASSISTS - Stamkos, Gourde. TIME - 7:55
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
- TBL: GOAL - Mikhail Sergachev (2). ASSIST - Cirelli. TIME - 9:15