Whenever an NHL team trades for a new player, questions abound on how long it will take for the newest addition to get settled in their new NHL home.
Oliver Bjorkstrand on Thursday wasted no time in getting comfortable as a Bolt, scoring the game-winning goal in a 6-5 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.
Bjorkstrand was acquired by the Lightning on Wednesday in a trade with the Seattle Kraken alongside forward Yanni Gourde. The duo played on the same line on Thursday and combined to score the game winner.
Lightning leading scorer Nikita Kucherov released his shot from atop the right faceoff circle, and Gourde got a piece of the shot. The puck fell to Bjorkstrand at the left post, and he shoveled the rebound into the net for the one-goal advantage 1:40 into the third period.
“Any player on a new team, it's nice to get the first goal. Not that you think too much about it, but it's definitely nice,” Bjorkstrand said. "Happy I could help out in that way, and obviously great that we found a way to win.”
Tampa Bay has now won 10 of its last 11 games and is 37-21-4 this season.
Thursday started with a barrage of goals and required a second period push by Tampa Bay.
Lightning forward Nick Paul opened the scoring when his passing attempt bounced off a Sabres player in front of the net and slid by Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 5:01 into play.
Buffalo tied the game 16 seconds later on a rush chance for defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, but Tampa Bay regained a lead at 5:53 on a Darren Raddysh point shot.
Buffalo scored twice to take a 3-2 advantage after one period before Lightning forward Jake Guentzel made his presence felt in period two.
Guentzel scored a hat-trick in the second, tying the game 5-5 after Buffalo had taken a 5-3 lead.
Guentzel tied the game 3-3 less than a minute into period two, then gloved down the puck in front of the Buffalo net before scoring on the backhand for the 5-4 goal. His second game-tying goal came on the power play with 1:14 left in the middle frame, this time burying a one-timed shot from the right faceoff dot after a pass by Brandon Hagel.
"I'm just trying to get open when I see him walk,” Guentzel said, “And I'm just trying to go up with him. So obviously he made a good sell…Just trying to hit the net, that’s all you’ve gotta do.”
Tampa Bay was happy to win, but the team also recognized that Thursday was not the style of defense they try to play. Buffalo earned numerous chances on the rush.
Still, the Lightning got two points to keep pace in a busy top half of the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are three points out of the top spot and one point behind Toronto for second place.
Guentzel’s three goals and the second period push allowed the Lightning to enter the third in a 5-5 deadlock.
"That made it somewhat manageable in the third. Basically then it became a score and defend (game),” head coach Jon Cooper said… “It’s a hard league to win in. Those are tough when you give up five, and you still come away with the win. So we felt pretty fortunate in that regard, but we know we’ve got to tighten things up in two days.”
Tampa Bay’s win required some maneuvering in the defense group, as captain Victor Hedman did not return after leaving the game near the midway mark of the first period due to an apparent injury.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Cooper said of Hedman’s injury. “It was tough for us to lose him. It's tough to lose him anytime, but you lose him 10 minutes into the game, so it was a little stress on us back there. Of course, that happens in the game we go 12 and six, but the boys weathered through it. And hopefully, we'll see about Saturday."
After winning two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, Gourde is excited to be back in Tampa Bay. He was all over the ice on Thursday, assisting on Bjorkstrand’s game-winner while finishing with a game-high four hits.
"Obviously it wasn't our best game, but we battled back, we rallied back,” Gourde said. “Everybody was a part of it. Everybody was working extremely hard, and we got it done, and that just shows how much care we have in this locker room. And it was amazing to see.”
Andrei Vasilvskiy finished with 28 saves in the Lightning net and became the second NHL goalie to reach 30 wins this season. He made several key saves in the third period to keep Tampa Bay ahead.
Both Gourde and Bjorkstrand said they were happy to contribute in their first game with the Lightning after Wednesday’s trade. Gourde in particular liked the way the Lightning were able to fight for a comeback victory.
"It's a tie game going in the third. Don't look at the score,” Gourde said. “Just look at what's in front of you, the opportunity you have in front of you and just do the right things. Keep building every single shift, keep doing the right things. Eventually, good things are gonna happen. We did that. We got the go ahead goal, and Vasy was there to make the big save towards the end."
Tampa Bay will host the Boston Bruins at 3 p.m. on Saturday as they seek a third consecutive win.
Benjamin’s Three Stars:
- Jake Guentzel, TBL (3 goals)
- Oliver Bjorkstrand, TBL (Game-winning goal)
- Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (Goal, assist)
