This was definitely what the doctor ordered. On a night when Victor Hedman was honored for playing his 1,000th NHL game, the Lightning ended their four-game losing streak with a strong, committed defensive performance.
In addition to their high-level defensive play, the Lightning also received a terrific outing from Andrei Vasilevskiy, who recorded a 25-save shutout. They got depth scoring — Anthony Cirelli contributed two goals, and Luke Glendening tallied one. It all added up to a satisfying victory, one that was sorely needed.
The Stars applied some early pressure and generated a scoring chance from the slot. But Vasilevskiy stopped the Wyatt Johnston attempt, and soon after, the Lightning got their forechecking game in gear. Over the next several minutes, they recorded seven unanswered shots. One of those went in. Following a Steven Stamkos offensive-zone faceoff win, Brayden Point won a puck battle along the boards to help the Lightning maintain possession. Stamkos fed Mikhail Sergachev at the left point, and Sergchev passed to Nikita Kucherov in the low slot. Kucherov snapped a shot over Jake Oettinger’s stick at 7:47.
Up until the final six minutes of the frame, the Lightning continued to control play. But suddenly, the Stars put together an extended offensive-zone shift of their own. Vasilevsky made three tough saves during that sequence, preserving the Lightning lead. Then just as suddenly, the Lightning extended their advantage. Cirelli won an offensive-zone faceoff, and eleven seconds later, he received a centering pass from a pinching Erik Cernak and scored. Cirelli battled Joe Pavelski to establish net-front position and lifted the puck into the top of the Dallas net.
The Lightning didn’t own as much possession in the second period, but they continued to defend hard. Vasilevskiy faced a few isolated chances, but for the most part, the Lightning didn’t allow Dallas to create much. Vasilevskiy’s best save of the frame came in the closing seconds when he denied Tyler Seguin’s one-timer from the left circle.
Early in the third, the Lightning extended their lead. Glendening blocked a shot near the Lightning blue line and countered on a breakaway. His backhand shot hit Oettinger’s blocker and deflected into the net. Cirelli finished the scoring when he converted on a backhand shot of his own at 12:12.
Vasilevskiy threw in a few more saves on Grade-A scoring chances in the third. He denied Jamie Benn’s point-blank rebound chance and stopped Seguin’s breakaway in the closing minutes. But those were two of only five shots that he faced in the final frame.
On the night, the Lightning blocked 24 Dallas shots, ten of which came in the third.
The Lightning host Pittsburgh on Wednesday in what will be their last home game before they embark on a five-game road trip.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Bobby “The Chief” Taylor):
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 25-save shutout.
- Luke Glendening — Lightning. Goal.
- Anthony Cirelli — Lightning. Two goals.
