A 2-0 disadvantage through two periods of hockey wasn’t enough to turn away the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, as the visiting Lightning scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 win in overtime.
Forward Brayden Point scored the game-winner 3:58 into overtime for his second goal of the game, his first after missing four games with a lower-body injury.
Jesse Puljujarvi scored the lone goal of the first period for Pittsburgh, and Rickard Rakell made it 2-0 on the power play 13 minutes into period two. A backhand shot by Point 5:41 into the third cut the visitors’ lead in half, and Anthony Cirelli tied the game with 7:11 remaining.
Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry finished with 32 saves on a night the Lightning outshot the home team 35 to 19. Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his third-straight win, stopping 17 shots.
Tampa Bay, now 10-6-1 on the year, plays in Columbus on Thursday.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
PIT 1, TBL 0
12:05 Jesse Puljujarvi (3) - Marcus Petterson, Sam Poulin
The home team took the first lead of the game when forward Jesse Puljujarvi tapped a goal home from the right side of the net. Defenseman Marcus Petterson found Puljujarvi waiting outside the blue paint in the crease, and the latter beat a stretching Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Shots on goal: TBL 10, PIT 9
2nd Period
PIT 2, TBL 0
13:05 Rickard Rakell (7) - Sidney Crosby, Matt Grzelcyk - PP
Pittsburgh doubled its lead on their first man advantage of the night. Captain Sidney Crosby received a pass near the goal line before tapping it to forward Rickard Rakell near the top of the right face-off circle, and the latter sent a one-timer into the top left corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Shots on goal: TBL 12, PIT 6
3rd Period
PIT 2, TBL 1
5:41 Brayden Point (9) - Ryan McDonagh, Darren Raddysh
Tampa Bay cut the home team’s lead in half with a Brayden Point goal in the forward’s return to the lineup. Point accepted a rink-long pass from Ryan McDonagh at the offensive blue line before wrapping behind the left side of the Pittsburgh net and shelving a backhand over Tristan Jarry’s shoulder.
PIT 2, TBL 2
12:49 Anthony Cirelli (5) - Victor Hedman, Raddysh
Tampa Bay evened the score when an Anthony Cirelli pass from behind the net was deflected behind Jarry for Cirelli’s fifth goal of the year.
Shots on goal: TBL 12, PIT 4
Overtime
TBL 3, PIT 2
Point (10) - JJ Moser, Conor Geekie
3:58 The Lightning completed the comeback victory with Point’s second goal of the night nearly four minutes into the extra period. Point found the puck for a nearside tuck after Jarry overplayed a push by Lighting defenseman JJ Moser nearly four minutes into overtime.
Total shots: TBL 35, PIT 19
