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With little outside help, Lightning take care of their own business against Dallas

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by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
April 2, 2017


TAMPA, Fla. – Franchises have no friends around the NHL.

So with it comes to seeking outside help at this time of the season, it’s the equivalent of approaching a neighbors front porch looking to borrow a cup of sugar only to have the door slammed shut and locked while the curtains are closed and the lights get turned about before even knocking on the door.

That was the case once again as Chicago did Tampa Bay no favors as the Boston Bruins skated in to the United Center for a Sunday matinee and came out with another victory to keep climbing the Atlantic Division standings.

There will be no help forthcoming for the Lightning. All they can do is protect their own house and hope it’s enough to keep the foundation of the season from crumbling around them.

For one more night, Tampa Bay stood its ground.

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Brayden Point scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period while Ondrej Palat capped off a three-point night with the eventual game-winner as the Lightning beat a scrappy Dallas team that is playing out the string by a 6-3 margin.

Rookie Adam Erne had his first career two-goal night while Anton Stralman had a goal and as assist as the Lightning kept pace in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay moved to within three points of Ottawa for the final wild card spot.

Boston remains four points ahead of the Lightning. Toronto is also three points ahead of the Lightning.

The scoreboard watching will be in full effect on Monday as Ottawa opens a home-and-home against the Red Wings at Detroit while Toronto is at Buffalo before Tampa Bay heads to Boston for a showdown with the Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

But without games like Sunday, when Tampa Bay found a way to take care of their own business, the rest of this week wouldn’t matter.

Any more slip-ups of any sort and the Lightning season will finally come crashing down. Even an overtime loss, like the one suffered against Montreal on Saturday, will prove detrimental to the Lightning’s already slim hopes of grabbing a playoff spot.

”“It was big (to get the win), especially with Boston winning today,’’ Point said. “We definitely needed these points, and we worked hard in the third to get them.”

The game was tied entering the third, and Tampa Bay was a bit fortunate to be in that situation after two periods. After Erne made a strong power move to the net to blow by Dallas defenseman Dan Hamhuis before cutting across the crease to open the scoring in the first, the Stars pulled even early in the second Gemel Smith tipped an Esa Lindell center point shot at 1:49.

Smith then put Dallas in front with a shorthanded goal, or at least he appeared to give the Stars the lead. Tampa Bay issued a challenge for offside, and after a review the play was overturned and the goal was taken off the board.

Dallas would actually take the lead as Jason Spezza provided the 2-1 lead at 10:57 as the Stars started to take over the game with Tampa Bay providing little pushback, at least not until late in the second. That little surge provided the boost the Lightning needed when Braydon Coburn pounced on a rebound of Stralman’s shot, tying the game with 17.1 seconds left.

”That goal was big, a late goal like that definitely carries momentum in to the next period,’’ Point said. “For a guy like Coby who works so hard, it was awesome.’’

Then, it was time for an intermission speech with very succinct tones emanating from the message delivered by the coaching staff in the locker room.

”It just comes down to our season and that was it,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “That was the discussion in the room was, ‘Do you want to give yourself a chance to play past next Sunday?’ So, if you don’t, then play the way we did in the second. If you do, play the way we did in the third.’’

So Tampa Bay went out and played as if its season was on the line, scoring four times to break open the game and pull away with goals from Point, Palat and Erne before Stralman put in an empty netter with less than two seconds left in the period.

But the Lightning caught a couple breaks as Dallas has two more would-be goals wiped off the board – both of which would have made it a one-goal game late. First Tyler Seguin bunted in a puck out of midway that would have pulled the Stars within 5-4. But a review of the play by the War Room in Toronto declared that Seguin – who jumped off his skates before contact – knocked the puck in with a high stick.

Then in the final minute the Stars put another puck in the Lightning net, but the play came just prior to Tampa Bay goaltender Peter Budaj having his mask knocked off, which automatically triggers a stoppage in play.

Stralman would then put the icing on the night with a long-range empty net goal as Tampa Bay secured the victory in a must-win game and kept home alive for another day.

”I thought we had a really good first 13 or 14 minutes in the third,’’ Cooper said. “That response in the third, the guys showed their will and it paid off.’’

Now they head to Boston for a Tuesday showdown with the Bruins 7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN, 970-AM in another must-win game.

Just don’t expect Tampa Bay to get any help on Monday when Ottawa heads to Detroit or Toronto plays at Buffalo. In the NHL, there are no friends on the ice.

Postgame notes: Both and D Jason Garrison returned to the lineup, although Garrison left the game late in the second and did not return. “I don’t know. We’ll see,’’ Cooper said of Garrison’s status. “I think he was getting tired and it was getting to a point where there might be some re-aggravation so he was not going to be effective anymore. So he couldn’t go.’’ … C Greg McKegg was a healthy scratch. … Though Johnson returned, the line of Ondrej Palat-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov remained together. … With Garrison back, Luke Witkowski returned to play as a forward. … LW Joel Vermin, who is on an emergency recall, was a scratch and is expected to be returned to Syracuse on Monday. … C Yanni Gourde increased his scoring streak to four games.

My three stars:
1.Lightning LW Ondrej Palat – Goal, two assists, plus-3, 4 blocked shots

2.Lightning RW Adam Erne – First career multi-goal game, five shots

3.Stars D Esa LIndell – Career high three assists, 27 minutes of ice time

Jon Cooper postgame reaction

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