Lightning find right injection to serve as remedy in comeback victory

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
December 28, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. – Looking for an injection, the Lightning turned to a potent combination to serve as a cure for what ails them.

Tampa Bay’s season turned south during a rash of injuries from the middle of November right up until the break for Christmas.

And with the season looking a bit more grimace, the return of Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov along with the reuniting of the Triplet line proved to be the right kind of remedy to complete a comeback victory.

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Tyler Johnson scored his second of the time 1:36 in to overtime to cap off a third-period rally against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

It was Palat’s late power play goal that tied the game in the third period as Tampa Bay came back from down two goals in the third period to pick up a victory for the first time this season. The trio of Johnson, Palat and Kucherov scored for three of the Lightning’s four goals while combing for six points and a plus-8 rating.

It’s no coincidence the return of Kucherov – who missed eight games – and Palat, who missed six, plus the reuniting of one of the top lines in hockey helped lead Tampa Bay to a key victory, pulling off a rally against a Montreal team that had been 15-1-1 this season when leading after two period prior to the game.

“The Triplets were outstanding tonight,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought they were the best line on the ice and the stat sheet’s going to show that, but they did everything we watched them do for the last few years now. You always worry about guys in their first game back, but if we don’t have them, we don’t have two points tonight. I thought they were big all over the ice, and when we needed them the most, they came through.”

Things looked bleak to start as a misplay of the puck by Vasilevskiy early in the game led to Alexander Radulov giving Montreal a 1-0 lead just 3:24 in to the game. Though Johnson tied the game at 10:39, Shea Weber scored on the power play to regain the lead for the Canadiens at 13:31. An early second period goal put the Canadiens in front by two goals, a lead the stingy Price rarely lets slip away.

But after a clinical defensive showing by Montreal in the opening 10 minutes of the third period – get the puck out, get it deep, make Tampa Bay come 200 feet – Victor Hedman helped turn the momentum with his seven goal of the season, snapping a quick wrist shot past Price to the stick side with 8:46 left in the third. Then with Weber in the penalty box for tripping Jonathan Drouin, Palat cut to the top of the right circle after a pass from Hedman and with Brian Boyle setting the screen in front, beat Price to tie the game with 3:30 left.

“We showed a lot of character in the third period,” Palat said.

Johnson then won the game with a brilliant wrist shot from the right circle, catching Price leaning ever so slightly to his left before Johnson snapped an unexpected wrist shot to the opposite corner.

The right kind of injection needed for a team that has now won three of the past four games and started off a key eight game stretch with three victories.

“I think there are 29 other teams in the league that would like to have those guys (Kucherov and Palat) in their lineup, so anytime we can get them in, that’s big for us,” Johnson said. “They were both able to come back and contribute right away. I thought our line played well, we got better as the game went along, we had a lot of opportunities. I expect us to get even more.”

That would be the best cure for what has ailed this team.

Postgame notes: Cooper said after the game that both Vladislav Namestnikov and Brayden Point were unable to finish the game due to injury and would be evaluated on Thursday, but he expected to have to make a call up from Syracuse. … G Andrei Vasilevskiy picked up his first career assist on Johnson’s overtime goal. … Johnson recorded his second multi-goal game of the season and the 12th of his career. … D Victor Hedman recorded two points and moved past Chris Gratton in to eighth place on the franchise all-time scoring list. … Tampa Bay is 1-2-2 in the second half of back-to-back games this season …

My three stars:
1.Lightning D Victor Hedman – Key goal sparked comeback, two points, plus-2 in 26:08 ice time

2.Lightning C Tyler Johnson – Two goals including OT winner, plus-3

3.Lightning LW Ondrej Palat – Tying goal, assist, plus-3, four shots in first game back

Jon Cooper meets the media following the game

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