On Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning clashed with the LA Kings at Amalie Arena. The atmosphere was electric as the Lightning aimed to secure points in a tight race for the playoffs. Currently, they hold the first wild card spot and are eager to maximize their opportunities before the 4 Nations break.
The Kings chose David Rittich as their goaltender since Darcy Kuemper played the night before. For the Lightning, a win against the Kings was crucial to break free from a recent scoring slump.
January was tough for the Lightning. They played 16 games across three time zones and faced several back-to-back games. Heading into Thursday, they had only scored one goal in their last two matches and two or fewer in three of four games.
Things took a turn in the first period when Brandon Hagel scored on a breakaway, thanks to a pass from Gage Goncalves. Andrei Vasilevskiy also contributed with a secondary assist on the play.
“I think all the boys were pretty excited. I may have blacked out on that one,” Hagel said, reflecting on his celebration. “That was my first triangle attack of my career, so it worked out well.”
The second period saw some drama when Quinton Byfield scored for the Kings. However, the Lightning challenged the goal and, after a review, it was ruled offside. So, the score stayed at 1-0 as they headed into the final period.
“A big turning point in the game was when the challenge went our way,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper noted. “If the game was tied, who knows how it goes? We felt we could have done better than just one goal after two periods.”
In the third period, the Kings tried to push for an equalizer, but the Lightning were resilient. They found more scoring opportunities and Hagel scored again, 16 minutes in, following a rebound from Nikita Kucherov’s chance.
“The best part of hockey is scoring goals,” Hagel expressed. “It doesn’t happen all the time, so when it does, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
With just a minute left, Anthony Cirelli took advantage of an empty net for a shorthanded goal. This secured Vasilevskiy’s third shutout of the season.
“I just focused on the game and didn’t think about being sick,” Vasilevskiy said, relieved after his solid performance. “The guys played well defensively, and I appreciate that.”
The Lightning will be back in action against the New York Islanders on Saturday night in Tampa.
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