Lightning find another way even after another top forward has to miss a game

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
March 30, 2017

TAMPA, Fla. – At this point of the season, it’s never about the how.

And considering the lineup the Lightning sent out on the ice on Thursday against Detroit, it really didn’t matter how Tampa Bay pulled off a 5-3 victory against Detroit. The only thing that mattered was the two points put in to the win column for the Lightning.

About an hour before game time, leading scorer Nikita Kucherov was sent home because of illness, which left Tampa Bay shorthanded, having to dress just 19 players for the game.

It also meant that between injuries to Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson and Ryan Callahan plus the absence of Kucherov, Tampa Bay was missing a combined 690 goals between four players.

So naturally, Tampa Bay got goals from five different players on Thursday with a combined career goal total of 129.

That’s just the way things are going for the Lightning down the stretch – one man down, next man up. And on Thursday it was needed to keep pace with Toronto and Boston – both of which won their games – in the Eastern Conference standings, while keeping hard-charging Carolina just behind them.

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Tampa Bay remains three points behind Boston with a game in hand, four points behind Toronto and suddenly just six points behind Ottawa.

”It may not have been our best game of late, but it’s two points in the standings and a huge two points as well,’’ said defenseman Victor Hedman, who recorded his 66th point of the season to become the all-time franchise single-season leader among defensemen. “Losing Kooch right before the game, he’s not easy to replace and guys stepped up.’’

Those guys were J.T. Brown, who scored just his third goal of the season and first since Nov. 14 to snap a 45-game goalless drought, with a key tying goal late in the first period. Andrej Sustr also notched his third of the season, Yanni Gourde the third of his career – second in two nights – and Alex Killorn scored just his second in 22 games. Jonathan Drouin scored what proved to be the game-winner with his 21st of the season.

”Somebody’s going to lead your team in scoring, somebody’s going to be second, somebody’s going to be third. That’s just how it works,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “But when you’re missing those guys, the goals have got to come from somewhere. … It was just a team effort, that one. Everybody contributed in every way. Everyone was just committed, but it’s been like that for weeks now. It’s been great.’’

With Tampa Bay on the verge of seeing Stamkos and Johnson back in the lineup, possibly as soon as Saturday, the Lightning felt like a team ready for a jolt of energy for the final handful of games left in the season. Instead, it was another shock to the system as Kucherov was sent home about 90 minutes before game time, too ill to be in the lineup.

”Clearly it’s a little bit of a shock to the system, especially with all the guys that we have out right now to find out that he wasn’t going to be able to go,’’ Cooper said. “The guys took it as a challenge.’’

It was a challenge, even against a Detroit team that had just played three games in three days – two of which went to overtime – and playing their fourth in five days, with the most recent game officially eliminating the Wings from playoff contention, ending their streak of reaching the postseason at 25 consecutive years.

But instead of wilting in self-pity, the Red Wings came out with a determined effort showing the ultimate pride of a franchise that has been among the elite in the league for a quarter-century and a model franchise for consistency.

It was the Wings that would open the scoring just 4:22 in to the game when Frans Nielsen skated in alone on the backdoor to tap in a pass from Darren Helm to put Tampa Bay in a hole once again.

But as they have done so many times in the past six weeks, Tampa Bay found a way to crawl out when Brown was able to skate down from the high slot and beat Petr Mrazek, who dropped early, high to the glove side with 62 seconds left in the first period for his third goal of the season.

Sustr notched his third of the season as he cut down the right side and as he arrived near the top of the crease to have an Ondrej Palat pass deflect off his leg and in to the net 2:22 in to the second period.

Then Detroit defenseman Danny DeKeyser found himself in the middle of the action, first tying the game with a center point shot that deflected off Tampa Bay’s Jake Dotchin at 12:46. But with Tampa Bay on its first power play chance, DeKeyser tried to sweep a rebound of Killorn’s shot aside, but instead knocking it in to his own net at 16:13. Just over a minute later, DeKeyser took a cross checking call, breaking his stick, and was in the penalty box when Drouin slipped through the neutral zone and into the Detroit zone before unleashing a wrist shot from the right circle at 18:04 for his 21st of the season to give Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead.

Gourde, who picked up the overtime winner in Monday’s emotional comeback against Chicago, scored his third of the season 6:03 in to the third to complete the night of scoring for a Lightning team that was missing so much offense in their lineup, particularly Kucherov, who was fifth in league scoring, second in goals and had registered five consecutive multi-point games heading in to Thursday.

“I love the sport of hockey because it’s not a one-man show, ever. Everybody’s got to contribute,’’ Cooper said. “But when you lose somebody as valuable to our team as Nikita, failure’s not an option. You’ve got to step up for him. I thought everybody did tonight.’’

Postgame notes: Tampa Bay swept the five-game, season-series from the Red Wings, becoming just the fourth team in history to sweep five games against Detroit in a season. … Tampa Bay has won nine consecutive regular season games against Detroit. … The Lightning have recorded multiple power play goals in game 16 times this season. .. LW Ondrej Palat extended his scoring streak to six games and has three goals and 14 point sin his past 11 games… Tampa Bay is off on Friday before playing back-to-back games against Montreal and Dallas this weekend.

My three stars:
1.Lightning LW Ondrej Palat – Two assists, plus-2, three hits

2.Lightning D Andrej Sustr – Goal, assist, plus-2

3.Red Wings D Mike Green – Goal, five shots in 25:18 of ice time

Jon Cooper postgame reaction

Postgame reaction from Andrej Sustr, Alex Killorn and Victor Hedman

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