In this emotional home opener that came on the heels of Hurricane Milton, the Lightning got off to a great start and built a multi-goal lead by the middle of the second period. The Canucks pushed hard over the final 30 minutes. But the Lightning, with the help of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, withstood that Vancouver surge to pick up their second win in as many games.
The opening frame was a dominant one for the Lightning. Their passing was crisp, so they held a possession advantage and didn’t spend much time in the defensive zone. They generated more shots and scoring chances than the Canucks. One of those shots went in — moments after a zone entry, Darren Raddysh set up Nikita Kucherov in the slot. Kucherov buried his shot past the stick of Arturs Silovs at 3:55.
The game’s dynamic changed in the second period, as the Canucks brought more consistent pressure in the offensive zone. But they couldn’t solve Vasilevskiy in the frame. Instead, the Lightning added to their lead. On the shift after a successful penalty kill ended, Jake Guentzel set up Brayden Point for a right-circle one-timer. Point whistled a shot inside the far post at 7:43.
Anthony Cirelli’s goal at :39 of the third period extended the lead to 3-0. But soon after, Vancouver gained momentum. During a lengthy four-on-three power play, the Canucks generated a handful of dangerous looks. They got on the board moments after the power play became a five-on-four. An Elias Pettersson shot was deflected by both J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser before it reached Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy stopped the shot, but the puck squeezed past him and landed in the crease. Conor Garland swooped in behind Vasilevskiy and finished the shot at 4:14.
The Lightning had an opportunity to re-establish a three-goal lead when they received a four-minute power play at 6:03. But not only did they fail to score, they struggled just to enter the offensive zone throughout the long power play. The strong kill gave the Canucks an additional boost, and they pressed to reduce the deficit over the final 10 minutes of the third. They were also helped by a successful coach’s challenge for goalie interference which negated a Mikey Eyssimont tally. But Vasilevskiy shut the door on any potential Vancouver comeback. He made 10 third-period saves, including a terrific stop on a Quinn Hughes shot from the slot in the closing minutes. Brandon Hagel iced the victory with an empty-netter at 18:14.
Although the Lightning weren’t able to maintain the high level that they established in the first period, they competed hard throughout the night. And when they needed their goalie to come up with a timely save, he did so.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 26 saves.
- J.J. Moser — Lightning. 23:33 TOI, leading team.
- Conor Garland — Canucks. Goal.
