Blog: Lightning halt Golden Knights’ two-game win streak

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 | 2 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 | 9:45 p.m.

Like they have so often this season, the Vegas Golden Knights played well and got nothing to show for it Tuesday night at Amalie Arena.

The Golden Knights saw a two-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos scored the game-winner, corralling a loose puck in the slot and lobbing it over Marc-Andre Fleury at 10:36 of the third period.

The shot ensured that another night where the Golden Knights had the edge by most measures other than goals, including 29-17 shots on net, went to waste. They never led but battled back to tie the game in the third period before Stamkos’ shot.

Paul Stastny, after having missed much of the second period due to taking a puck to the face, tied the game at 2-2 at 3:47 of the third period with a redirect in front of the net. That broke a 22-minute scoreless streak in the game, as neither the Lightning nor the Golden Knights ever got much going during the second period.

The first period had more of the type of fireworks expected from two of the hottest teams in the league. Vegas had several better scoring chances, but the one it capitalized on came when William Carrier slapped a shot home off of a pass from Brayden McNabb.

Tampa Bay spent fewer times in Vegas’ defensive zone, but had a pair of goals that displayed its lethal offense. First, Brayden Point rocketed a puck from the slot with assists to Nikita Kucherov and Erik Cernak.

Then, about two minutes after Carrier’s goal, Anthony Cirelli and ultimately Tyler Johnson tipped an Ondrej Palat-originated puck into the net.

The Lightning’s final goal was an empty-netter by Alex Killorn.

Check back to lasvegassun.com for more coverage later.

Lightning maintain 2-1 lead over Golden Knights at end of second period

Puck meet face.

Those three words describe the most memorable action of the second period at Amalie Arena. Neither the Lightning nor the Golden Knights scored, leaving the only notable plays a pair of six-ounce round rubber discs colliding with mugs of members of the visiting team. Both Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek missed significant time after having to go to the locker room following attacks by the puck.

Stastny’s absence seemed particularly impactful as Vegas’ power-play unit looked lost without him, going 0-for-2 with another full chance wiped out by an offsetting penalty. Both players returned by the end of the period.

The Golden Knights have outshot the Lightning 21-13 on the night, but didn’t have many high-quality chances in the second period.

Lightning lead 2-1 at the end of the first period

The Golden Knights have more shots. The Lightning have more goals.

Tampa Bay’s offensive proficiency shone through in the first period at Amalie Arena, as Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson scored goals to bookend a William Carrier wrister for Vegas. Point strong-armed the first Lightning goal through the slot, while Johnson redirected a shot that originated from Ondrej Palat but was also tipped by Anthony Cirelli.

Cirelli was initially credited the goal before replay revealed that Johnson also got a stick on it. Vega has an 11-8 advantage in shots on goal.

Lightning lead 1-0 midway through the first period

Tampa Bay showed off their firepower early.

After the Golden Knights’ defense failed to clear a loose puck, Lightning wing Nikita Kucherov got a stick on it and tapped it over to center Brayden Center, who in turn fired it past Marc-Andre Fleury. The score came at 10:57 on the Lightning’s fourth shot on goal.

Pregame

With the Lightning having assumed their usual spot near the top of the NHL and the Panthers putting together one of their best regular seasons, Florida swings have been tough on visiting franchises this season.

The Vegas Golden Knights now have their shot at solving the NHL’s two Sunshine State teams starting tonight at Amalie Arena and continuing on Thursday in Fort Lauderdale. Vegas sits at 3-2 since Peter DeBoer took over shortly before the All-Star break, but Tampa Bay will represent the new coach’s toughest test yet — at least by the betting odds.

The Golden Knights are a season-high plus-150 underdog at the Lightning, which come back at minus-170. The betting market had the Golden Knights vs. Lightning as the most likely Stanley Cup Final matchup coming into the season, and though it’s been far from smooth for either team, they both appear to be strong in current form.

Vegas arrives on a two-game winning streak after shutting out Nashville and holding on in Carolina to start the road trip. Tampa is even more scorching, having won three straight on the West Coast to bring its record to 7-2-1 in the last 10 to boost its goal differential to a league-best plus-43.

The Lightning’s top line of Steven Stamkos-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov continues to be one of the most feared in hockey. The Golden Knights have assimilated to DeBoer’s new defensive tactics quickly and admirably, but how will they hold up against a rush with one Hart trophy winner — Kucherov claimed the MVP award last year — and another runner-up — Stamkos in 2011-2012?

The Golden Knights have plenty to throw at the Lightning too with their top two lines having particularly played well post-All Star Break. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, similar to the Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury, has been shaky at times this year.

The Golden Knights are 3-1 all-time against the Lightning. The teams’ second and final scheduled meeting of the season will come quickly, as Tampa bay visits Las Vegas on Feb. 20.

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights plus-150, Lightning minus-170; over/under: 6.5 (minus-105, minus-115)

Golden Knights (27-20-7, 61 points) (13-10-4 road), third place, Pacific Division

Coach: Peter DeBoer (first season)

Points leader: Max Pacioretty (48)

Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (21)

Assists leader: Mark Stone (30)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.78 GAA, .908 save percentage)

Lightning (32-15-5, 69 points) (15-7-2 home), second place, Atlantic Division;

Coach: Jon Cooper (eighth season)

Points leader: Nikita Kucherov (61)

Goals leader: Nikita Kucherov (37)

Assists leader: Nikita Kucherov (37)

Expected goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.55 GAA, .917 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault—Paul Stastny—Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

William Carrier—Cody Eakin—Alex Tuch

Tomas Nosek—Nicolas Roy—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt

Nick Holden—Shea Theodore

Jon Merrill—Zach Whitecloud

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.