Will to win leads Lightning to key victory to keep playoff window open

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
March 23, 2017

TAMPA, Fla. – Lightning trips to Beantown tend to lead to beatdowns for the visitors.

But Tampa Bay showed plenty of fight and delivered counter-punch after counter-punch on Thursday before skating away with a 6-3 decision at TD Garden, led by Nikita Kucherov’s second hat trick in the past 13 games to pull him in to a tie for second in the league with 37 goals.

The Lightning won for just the seventh time ever in Boston during the regular season, a monumental accomplishment under the circumstances. A loss of any kind would have all but put the final nail in the coffin on the season for Tampa Bay.

Instead, Thursday proved to be opposite of Tampa Bay’s previous game as a team that needed to win was committed to doing just that as Tampa Bay pulled to within three points of the Bruins for the final playoff spot with a game in hand.

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

Tampa Bay defended much better against Boston – relatively speaking – blocked more than twice as many shots as Thursday and delivered 25 hits.

While the commitment to winning was stronger, it was the will to win that led the Lightning to victory.

Three times in the second period Tampa Bay fell behind by a goal. Three times the Lightning answered within 95 seconds to pull even, including twice on the shift following a goal against.

David Pastrnak scored a power play goal 1:33 in to the second period. Brayden Point answered that 44 seconds later on a rebound chance in front of the net.

Zdeno Chara scored shorthanded as Kucherov failed to stay with his man to give Boston a 2-1 lead at 7:50 of the period. On the next shift, Jonathan Drouin shimmied back near the left circle, allowing a perfect seam to open up for a cross-ice pass down low to an open Kucherov for a one-timer to tie the score 24 seconds later.

Riley Nash put Boston in front once again, putting a wrap-around off the legs of a sliding Victor Hedman at 13:18. But once again, the Lightning countered right back as Anton Stralman came down the right circle on a rush play, lifting a perfect shot over the shoulder of Tuuka Rask 1:35 later to knot the score once again.

”I think because we answered so fast on the first one, and we did it again a second time, it was, I don’t know, guys didn’t even seem to think about it,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of the quick responses. “They just kept playing.’’

In a do-or-die third period, Tampa Bay found life.

Jonathan Drouin fired a laser from the left circle at 4:12 to give Tampa Bay its first lead of the game with his first goal since Feb. 19 at Colorado, ending a 14-game drought. As Drouin celebrated, he symbolically threw the monkey off his back while providing the Lightning with a jolt at the same time.

”It took probably cumulative two-and-a-half, three minutes to keep tying the game,’’ Cooper said. “That was, for me, the difference. To keep answering like that, it just kind of sucked some momentum from them, and then when we got the lead, they couldn’t answer and we extended it and that was it.’’

The lead was extended on Kucherov’s second power play goal of the game – his league-leading 17th with the man advantage – on a one-timer that deflected in off the shin pads of Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid. Kucherov added an empty net goal to pick up his second hat trick since Feb. 27.

Kucherov has been a catalyst for the offense, pulling in to sixth place in league scoring and within four goals of Sidney Crosby in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy.

”He’s playing with a lot of confidence now, especially in the offensive zone,’’ Cooper said of Kucherov. “It was a matter of just getting him really to shoot pucks. You look back about a month and a half, two months ago, you’d see the stat sheet and he wouldn’t have a shot on goal. Now you’re seeing five, six, seven a game, and when that’s happening for a guy of his offensive talent caliber, pucks are going to go in for him, and right now they are.’’

But Kucherov had plenty of support on Thursday with Ondrej Palat picking up three assists, Drouin adding two assists to his goal for a three-point night while Jake Dotchin had his first career two-point game. Point also finished with a goal and an assist.

Surprise starter Peter Budaj did his part as well, stopping 28 shots for his second victory in three starts since coming over from the Los Angeles Kings. Then there was the play of Gabriel Dumont, who won 15 of 26 faceoffs despite just over 10 minutes of ice time

”It was just a complete game,’’ Cooper said. “All four lines contributed. The lines that score, scored, and the lines that defend, defended. And then (Budaj) was back there to make the saves we needed. It was a total team effort.’’

For one night, the Lightning kept the final nail from being put in to their season, keeping the window open on their playoff chances heading in to Friday’s game at Detroit (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Sun, 970-AM, tblpowerplay.com

”There’s a couple teams in the race still and it’s about who is going to have the best record over these 10 games,” defenseman Anton Stralman said after the game. “We’re off to a good start but that was just one [game]. There are still miles to go.”

Postgame notes: D Jason Garrison left the game in the second period with an apparent injury to his right leg/ankle and had to be helped off the ice, unable to put any weight on the leg. Cooper said after the game there was no updated on Garrison’s status for Friday saying “we’ll have to see’’ after he is evaluated in Detroit. … C Cedric Paquette took part in the morning skate in a full contact jersey and could be cleared to return to the lineup. … Tampa Bay has multiple power play goals in 14 games this season. … LW Ondrej Palat tied a career high with three assists, last seat March 25, 2016, against the New York Islanders. … Kucherov’s hat trick was the first ever for a Lightning player against Boston. … LW Alex Killorn registered his 100th career assist. … Tampa Bay is 7-1-3 in the past 11 road games. … The Lightning improved to 7-3-1 on the road against Atlantic Division opponents this season.

My three stars:
1.Lightning RW Nikta Kucherov – Second hat trick in the past month, plus-2, 6 shots on goal

2.Lightning LW Jonathan Drouin – Game-winning goal, two assists

3.Lightning LW Ondrej Palat – Three assists, plus-2

Jon Cooper postgame reaction

Full game highlights from NHL.com

{/mprestriction}