Fresh off a massive win over the Calgary Flames to wrap up a perfect 3-0 home stand, the Tampa Bay Lightning battled back multiple times to earn a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators Saturday night.
Filip Forsberg started things by notching his seventh goal of the season, giving the Predators a 1-0 lead. The goal came on a power play, a good sign for a team that ranked 30th out of 32 teams on the man advantage coming into this game.
The Lightning had the lead in shots on goal, 18-12, after 20 minutes. They couldn’t seem to figure out Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.
Nikita Kucherov got the Lightning on the board about four and a half minutes into the second period, wristing a shot past Saros on the power play to tie things at one.
Nick Paul whiffed on a clearing attempt five minutes into the final frame. That allowed Nino Niederreiter to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy for a 2-1 Predators lead.
That looked like it might be the game-winner until the final four minutes.
Alex Killorn deflected an Ian Cole shot past Saros to tie the game at two and give the Lightning a chance.
Captain Steven Stamkos did the rest, drawing a penalty and then scoring on the ensuing power play to give the Lightning two points.
Special teams were crucial in this game. The Lightning converted on two of their five opportunities, while the Predators only scored once on the man advantage.
Kucherov continued his recent hot streak by tallying a goal and two assists. Brayden Point was noticeable also, with two power play assists and several quality scoring chances.
After fighting through a number of injuries during his prime, Stamkos looks to have found his stride. The first overall pick in the 2008 draft recently reached 500 assists, is nine goals away from 500, and needs eight more points to reach 1,000 for his career.
The Lightning are on a four-game win streak but face their toughest test of the season these next few weeks. That includes two games against the red-hot Boston Bruins, a team that’s given the Bolts fits in the past, beginning Monday, November 21, at Amalie Arena.
