Tampa Lightning’s power play falters, allows two goals in 4-2 loss to Panthers

Some games deserve a little deeper introspection than others. Tonight, the breakdown of the game is pretty simple. The Tampa Bay Lightning allowed two short-handed goals on the same power play and lost 4-2 to the Florida Panthers. That’s it. That’s literally the ball game. There is no need for any further discussion. See ya tomorrow!

Lightning's power play falters, allows two goals in 4-2 loss to Panthers - Raw Charge

Just kidding.

Still, the turning point of the game came midway through the second period with Uvis Balinskis in the Florida penalty box for interference with the score tied at one a piece. First, Nikita Kucherov turned the puck over at the Florida blueline that led a two-on-one short-handed breakaway that Andrei Vasilevskiy made the initial stop on, but the puck hung out in front of the crease and A.J. Greer was able to backhand it past Vasilevskiy. Forty seconds later, Eetu Luostarinen stripped Anthony Cirelli of the puck at center ice and beat Vasilevskiy, who finished with 22 saves, cleanly.

Just like that, it was 3-1, and despite a decent third period from the Bolts, they were never able to overcome the gap. They generated a few chances in the final period, but Knight, who finished the night with 19 saves, was up to the task of protecting the lead.

“We let those two goals get to us” Brayden Point said after the game. Point would bring them within a goal with his 22nd tally of the season as he cut in front of Spencer Knight and tucked the puck around him. That would be as close as they got as Sam Reinhart buried an empty-netter with 30 seconds left to ice the game.

The teams traded goals in the first period with Reinhart deflecting a point shot from Aaron Ekblad on the Panther’s first power play of the game. Nick Paul found the equalizer with just five seconds left in the period as Victor Hedman found him on a diagonal slap-pass. Paul worked the puck around Knight for his 8th goal of the season.

It’s not often that the Lightning outscore a team 2-0 at 5v5 play and don’t walk away with the victory, but special teams goals count as much as even-strength ones, and the Panthers won the special teams battle rather soundly. If there is a positive to be taken from this game, it’s that the Bolts played level with the Panthers at even strength, and that’s something to build on for their next match-up.

“You don’t obviously play the same team two times in a row unless it’s playoffs, so it’s a good situation for us to respond and go on the road and win a gutsy one, kind of like they did tonight. So it’s good for us to have this adversity here before break,” said Ryan McDonagh.

They’ll have to turn the page on this one quickly as the two teams face off again on Monday night in Sunrise. Ryan McDonagh made a promise as he spoke to the press after the loss,

“We’ll be better tomorrow night”