The Stars Shine as the Lightning Char the Wings in Tampa

By Tyler Santana

Overview

The Lightning came back to Amalie after back to back losses on the road and looking for answers. They came out playing like the team from earlier this season, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the 1^st with their stars leading the way. They continued to press the whole game and beat the Wings thanks to the backstopping of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who were it not for an unfortunate powerplay goal he got most of, would’ve had a 39 save shutout. Steven Stamkos had 2 goals, Victor Hedman had 3 assists, and Nikita Kucherov had 4 points to lead the Bolts to a 4-1 win.

1^st Period

The Bolts came ready to play, especially Andrei Vasilevskiy, who punched out or swallowed up 17 Red Wing shots in the 1^st period. The Bolts offense was jolted after Steven Stamkos came out of the box, snuck in behind the defense, and buried a one time shot behind Jimmy Howard to give Tampa a 1-0 lead 4 minutes into the 1^st period. Just over 3 minutes later, with the Bolts on the powerplay, Vladislav Namestnikov busted into the zone with a head full of steam and that glorious hair of his, feeding Nikita Kucherov who didn’t miss his one-time opportunity, 2-0 Tampa. The Bolts got a few more chances through the period but couldn’t beat Howard. The Red Wings were peppering Vasilevskiy, but Tampa’s brick wall had none of it. The Bolts would end the period with a lot of confidence and a 2-0 lead.

Shots 17-12 Detroit

Score 2-0 Bolts

2^nd Period

This was probably Tampa’s best period tonight, as even though they only got one goal and conceded their only goal of the night late in the period, the Bolts carried the period. Tampa outshot Detroit 13-11 in the 2^nd, the only period Tampa lead in shots. The Big Cat had another tremendous period, only getting beat through a screen shot that also went through Hedman’s legs, and Vasy still nearly came up with the save. He was locked in all night. The pillars of the team continued to dominate, as on a powerplay late in the period when Hedman passed to Kucherov, who turned his windup into a one-touch cross ice pass that the Captain buried for his second goal of the night.

Shots 28-25 Detroit

Score 3-1 Bolts

3^rd Period

The Bolts could’ve come out a bit sluggish after having given up a goal in the final minute of the pervious period. They instead pushed and came out hard. Just 1:35 into the period, Nikita Kucherov drove the wing and dropped the puck right to the tape of Alex Killorn in front of Detroit’s net, with Killorn promptly burying his backhand to make it a 4-1 hockey game. From there, Vasilevskiy continued to lock it down and the Bolts continued to try and pressure the Detroit backline. The game for the most part wouldn’t be too dirty, and the important thing is the Bolts escaped with no bandages, as rivalry games can get chippy in the end. They would draw a penalty to end the game, and they killed the remaining ticks on the clock to complete their sweep over Detroit.

Shots 39-32 Detroit

4-1 Bolts win

3 Stars

Nikita Kucherov (1G,3A)

Steven Stamkos (2G)

Victor Hedman (3A)

Up Next

The Bolts will welcome Bryan Boyle and the New Jersey Devils to Amalie on Saturday, February 17^th. Puck drops at 7:00 pm ET.