Tampa Bay Lightning answer the message with a rookie hat trick and high level play from the vets

by Erik Erlendsson |  @Erik_Erlendsson |  Like us on Facebook
October 1, 2021

TAMPA –  Coming out of a loss to Nashville there were two direct messages the Tampa Bay Lightning coaching staff had for the group scheduled to suit up for Friday’s game against Carolina. The message, of course, was not just for the group heading to play against the Hurricanes but for the whole group of players to receive.

And if the message was relayed in postgame comments to the media, safe to surmise that it was delivered more poignantly in the locker room and before practice on Saturday when going over game film. 

Message delivered. Message received. 

The level of compete – and simply just playing harder – proved much higher on Friday. That included for those who are pushing and competing for open spots on the roster.

The result, per usual, isn’t paramount. But the path to the result traveled a much more defined route. It wasn’t perfect. It looked erratic at times. 

But the message was received as the vets played at a high level and those playing for roster spots played as if they want to earn a roster spot.

On the vets showing up and the prospect who rose up with a hat trick performance to make a statement.

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

Looking for a better level of play, the Lightning did exactly that with an offensive breakout in an 8-5 victory against Carolina, erupting for five goals in the third period to erase two separate one-goal deficits to earn the first victory of the preseason.

The breakout star was 2018 second-round pick Gabriel Fortier, who notched the winning goal and added an insurance marker with a shorthanded goal to cap off a hat trick performance. While he hasn’t quite been in the conversation for one of those open roster spots, he made it known he’s looking to grab a job.

“They’ve made it known that there might be two spots open on the team,” Fortier said. “So for us young guys, it’s just to come in and try to do the best we can and help the team.”

Fortier scored his first goal of the game with a good second effort, misfiring on an initial attempt from the right circle before staying with the play and beating Antti Raanta at 11:42 of the second period that cut Carolina’s lead to 3-2. With the game tied 5-5 in the third period, he took the center net drive and was all alone at the top of the crease and tapped in a pass from Gage Goncalves to put Tampa Bay in front at 11:54. Then on the penalty kill late in the third, Fortier went out for a defensive zone draw, won the faceoff back to Ondrej Palat who tapped it back to Fortier who just put his head down and shot the puck to complete the hat trick.

What kind of a statement did Fortier think he made with his three-goal performance?

“Good,” he said with a sly smile of understatement.

The goals stand out, but Fortier’s game is about competing, forechecking, working and keeping his feet moving. And that gets noticed.

“He was a competitor. He’s fast. And he was great on the PK,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “He earned his goals tonight. But he just competes hard like he’s just, you know I don’t start comparing them to people because then that’s an unfair moniker but you win with guys like Fortier. He’s got a lot of growing to do in his game. But he’s just one of those guys that has gotten better every year, he competes and you want those guys. So if he keeps going here we’ll see what happens here down the stretch, but he’s, you know he’s definitely made a name for himself and good for him.”

And yes, Fortier is back in the lineup for Saturday’s game in Nashville.

Unlike Thursday, the Lightning also so solid games from others looking to make a statement, such as Otto Somppi who showed good speed and ability to kill penalties. And Goncalves, who made the play to set up the winning goal, who showed an ability to make plays down low. Or Alex Green, the second-year defenseman who showed he can skate at this level and made some smart plays with the puck.

But the biggest message was delivered by the top vets on the team, namely the top line of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, who pushed the pace and combined for two goals and nine points.

And the other line of vets pitched in as well, with Corey Perry adding a pair of goals and three points, Pat Maroon adding a goal and an assist and Pierre-Edouard Bellmare winning 14-of-22 faceoffs and logging a game-high 5:39 of shorthanded ice time.

Goaltender Hugo Alnefelt also made an impression, stopping 39 shots. It wasn’t a perfect outing as his two mishandles with the puck led to two of Carolina’s goals, one of which squeezed through him on the near post from a bad angle. But he saw a high number of quality chances, 16 high danger chances according to Natural Stat Trick, and battled in his crease.

“I thought he did well.,” Cooper said. “Obviously there’s the couple of mishandles that happened but you probably sit there and say well he would like to have a couple back but then there was probably a few in there, you’re like holy cow, how did he save those.”

Finally, perhaps the best news coming out of the game was the near 24 minutes played by Victor Hedman in his first game since undergoing offseason knee surgery, the most ice time on either team.

“It was good,” Hedman said. “Get your legs under you and I was rusty out there but at the end of the day it’s good to get out there, get in some that’s different than practicing or the scrimmage.”

Training camp schedule is below, all practices at TGH IcePlex in Brandon unless otherwise noted (all sessions closed to the public):

Saturday: Oct. 2

Game Group: 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

at Nashville, 8 p.m.

Sunday: Oct. 3

Day off

Monday: Oct. 4

Practice 11:30 a.m. at Amway Center in Orlando

Tuesday Oct. 5

Morning skate: 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

vs. Florida, 7 p.m. at Amway Center in Orlando

Wednesday Oct. 6

Day off

Thursday Oct. 7

Morning skate: 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. at Amalie Arena

vs. Florida, 7 p.m.

Friday Oct. 8

Practice, 12 p.m. at Amalie Arena

Saturday Oct. 9

Morning skate: 10:15 a.m. at Amalie Arena

at Florida, 6 p.m.

{/mprestriction}