Through two periods, the Lightning were trailing by two goals and probably feeling frustrated. They’d held a big advantage in possession, shots, and attempts. They hadn’t made many mistakes defensively, but two of them ended up in their net. Tristan Jarry, who has struggled for much of the season, had denied a handful of Grade-A chances.
But the Lightning didn’t allow frustration to affect their game. In the third period, they continued to dominate possession, shots, and attempts. Unlike what transpired in the earlier two periods, however, they got rewarded. On the shift after a Lightning power play expired, they got on the board. With the puck deep in the Tampa Bay defensive zone, the Penguins attempted to complete a line change. Ryan McDonagh rimmed the puck around the boards (on the opposite side of the ice from the Pittsburgh bench) to Brayden Point. With the Pens in the middle of a change, Point had room to enter the offensive zone on the left wing. He swooped behind the net and came around the other side. From the bottom of the right circle, he backhanded a shot into the top of the net at 5:41.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the third, they tied the score. The goal came at the end of a long offensive-zone shift. Victor Hedman moved the puck to Anthony Cirelli behind the net. Cirelli skated to the goal line and attempted a centering pass to Brandon Hagel, who was positioned at the top of the crease. The puck deflected off Jarry’s stick and caromed into the net at 12:49.
In overtime, the possession script remained the same. The Lightning had the puck most of the time. The winning goal began in the defensive zone. J.J. Moser fed the puck to Conor Geekie, who maneuvered it to the neutral zone. Point and Geekie skated into the offensive zone with Moser trailing. Geekie dropped a pass to Moser in the high slot. As Moser angled to the left, Sidney Crosby attempted to tie him up. Jarry came out of his crease to cut down the angle. The puck slid to Point at the side of the net. He stepped between Jarry and the net and tucked the puck into an open net.
There were several keys to the Lightning’s win. They didn’t deviate from the game plan after falling behind by two. They checked tightly throughout the game, which helped them limit opposition chances. They managed the puck well, which helped them own a big possession advantage. Shot attempts for the game finished 85-38 in favor of Tampa Bay.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get through the game injury-free. Nick Paul didn’t play in the third period or overtime. But that was the only downer coming out of this comeback win.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Brayden Point — Lightning. Two goals.
- Ryan McDonagh — Lightning. Assist.
- Tristan Jarry — Penguins. 32 saves.
