This was yet another game in which the Lightning faced a hot opposing goalie. David Rittich was terrific in net for Los Angeles. But the Lightning didn’t let frustration affect them. Instead, they defended their way to a win.
Brandon Hagel converted on an in-alone chance at 4:45 of the first period. He made an inside move on defenseman Jordan Spence, which created an open path to the net. He snapped a shot through the pads of Rittich to give the Lightning an early lead. The Lightning had plenty of opportunities to score more than one goal, but Rittich repeatedly foiled them. The Lightning also missed the net on some chances. Others were blocked at the last instant. Nikita Kucherov hit the crossbar, one of many posts the Lightning have hit in recent games. It was the same script the Lightning have seen play out throughout much of January.
But the single goal proved to be enough. That’s because the Lightning defended at a high level for the entire game. They limited turnovers, checked tightly, and kept opposition chances to a minimum. When LA did generate a good look, Andrei Vasilevskiy made a save. The Lightning also benefitted from a crossbar hit by Warren Foegele in the first. Then there was the successful coach’s challenge in the second period that took a Kings goal off the board. On that latter play, a bad bounce went against the Lightning. A puck ricocheted out of the Los Angeles end just as a Lightning power play expired. It caromed directly to Jacob Moverare as he exited the penalty box. He set up Quinton Byfield on a breakaway, and Byfield converted. But Moverare bobbled the puck moments before he made the pass and put himself offside.
The Kings attempted to press the attack in the third period, posting 11 shots on net (after recording 17 in the opening 40 minutes). Anze Kopitar did have a good look on a two-on-one rush early in the frame, but Vasilevskiy stopped the shot. That might have been the Kings’ best third-period chance to tie. With under four-and-a-half minutes left, the Kings won an offensive-zone faceoff, but Hagel stole the puck close to the blue line. He passed it ahead to Kucherov, who skated in on a breakaway. Rittich knocked the puck away with his stick but slid to the ice in the process. Hagel followed up and stuffed the puck into an open net at 15:39.
The Lightning finally had some breathing room. That proved to be important when the Kings received a power play at 17:03. They pulled Rittich for an extra attacker. The Lightning held Los Angeles to only one SOG during the six-on-four (a long-range attempt from Drew Doughty) before Cirelli tracked a Hagel clear and tallied an empty-netter at 18:43.
The Kings finished with 28 shots on net, but their scoring-chance number was very low. That was the biggest key to this Lightning win.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Brandon Hagel — Lightning. Two goals and assist.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 28-save shutout.
- Vladislav Gavrikov — Kings.