Mishkin's Extra Shift: Lightning 4, Stars 3 - SO

While it's disappointing that the Lightning surrendered two sixth-attacker goals in the closing minutes and squandered a 3-1 lead, that late-game development didn't diminish what was an excellent overall outing.

The Lightning were skating in the second half of a back-to-back against an opponent that neither played nor traveled on Monday. That opponent, currently out of a playoff spot in the Discover Central Division, is desperate for points. But for most of Tuesday's game, the Lightning carried play. That includes a dominant first period, one of their best 20 minutes of hockey so far this season.
The Lightning thoroughly overwhelmed the Stars in the first period, posting a season-high 19 shots on net. Shot attempts were 26-10 in favor of Tampa Bay. They produced several good scoring chances and owned virtually all of the possession time. Their passing was crisp, their structure was tight, and the pace with which they played was fast. Their first goal came off one of those terrific passes, as Ondrej Palat delivered a tape-to-tape cross ice feed to Brayden Point. Point outraced the Dallas defenders and finished a backhander on his breakaway. But that would be the only goal that Stars goalie Jake Oettinger allowed in the first. He made saves on the Lightning's other 18 first period shots, keeping his team's deficit at one.
The Stars began leveling the ice at the start of the second and enjoyed more possession time in the offensive zone. They eventually tied the game with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal at 9:05, the final shot in a three-shot sequence from right in front of the Lightning net. That tally sparked the Stars, who enjoyed their best stretch of the game for the next several minutes. They pinned the Lightning back in the defensive zone on successive shifts and almost grabbed the lead. But at the end of one of those sequences, Andrei Vasilevskiy made a key point blank save on Jason Dickinson and covered the puck, allowing his team to complete a line change.
The Lightning received a strong performance from the line of Ross Colton, Pat Maroon, and Mathieu Joseph and the three players contributed one of the most important plays of the night. Shortly after the Dickinson chance, Colton, Maroon, and Joseph worked the puck into the Dallas end and maintained possession. Colton and Maroon won puck battles behind the net and Maroon centered a pass to Joseph. From the slot, Joseph buried a one-timer to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead at 14:20.
Up 2-1 entering the third, the Lightning didn't sit back. They kept pressing the attack and owned a majority of the possession time in the final frame. They added to their lead when Steven Stamkos netted a power play goal at 11:49. Victor Hedman earned the primary assist on the goal, his 500th career NHL regular season point. The tally came at the end of an extended offensive zone shift in which the Lightning won repeated puck battles to maintain possession.
Until Jamie Benn's goal at 17:54 of the third made it 3-2, the Stars hadn't generated much pressure in the third period. And the Lightning especially had locked things down since Stamkos' power play goal. But Heiskanen was able to bring the puck into the Lightning end and eventually centered a pass to Benn, who got open in front.
Forty-one seconds later, the Stars tied it. The Lightning caught a tough break when Ryan McDonagh delivered a hand pass from just inside his own blue line. Palat accepted the pass in the neutral zone. Had the pass originated from the neutral zone, the face-off would have taken place at center ice. Instead, it led to a d-zone draw for the Lightning. The Stars won the face-off and Benn centered the puck for Alexander Radulov. The puck deflected off McDonagh's stick, Radulov, and Barclay Goodrow before caroming into the net.
Both teams had chances to win the game in overtime, combining for five shots on goal and three other attempts that narrowly missed the net. In the shootout, the Lightning got goals from Colton and Point, overcoming Jason Robertson's tally on Dallas' opening shot.
Because of the two sixth-attacker goals against, the Lightning earned the two points in the shootout instead of in regulation. But based on how well they played, they were deserving of the two points, no matter how they got them.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Bobby "The Chief" Taylor):
1. Brayden Point - Lightning. Goal and assist. Shootout deciding goal.
2. Ross Colton - Lightning. Assist. Shootout goal.
3. Mathieu Joseph - Lightning. Goal.