The Eastern Conference leading Tampa Bay Lightning rolled into Pittsburgh on a four game win streak with goalie Ben Bishop and defenseman Jason Garrison back from injuries. Their final match up of the season saw the Penguins get by the Lightning 6-3. The six goals allowed by Tampa Bay is one more than the total given up over the last three games.
Tampa Bay started horribly as the Penguins were too quick for them. Puck retrieval was nonexistent for the Bolts. It took Tampa Bay almost six minutes before they could muster a shot on Penguins goalie Thomas Greiss.
The Penguins struck quickly a on the power play, just 1:56 into the game with Anton Stralman off for tripping Bryan Rust. Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz tapped in a rebound just 20 seconds into the power play. Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby were credited with assists on the play.
Just five minutes later, Andrew Ebbett beat Ben Bishop with an easy backhand shot for his first goal of the season after Evgeni Malkin hit the post. Simon Despres got the secondary assist.
Pittsburgh continued their first period dominance as Malkin scored his 17th of the year at 13:39 after Tampa Bay turned the puck over at the blue line. Ebbett and Rust got the assists. With the score 3-0, Lightning coach Jon Cooper yanked goalie Ben Bishop and Evgeni Nabokov entered the game. Bishop allowed three goals on ten shots.
At 15:11, Matt Carle got the Bolts on the board as he fended off two Penguins behind the net and found Brian Boyle who stuffed it in for his seventh of the year.
Nabokov stopped Brandon Sutter on a shorthanded breakaway as the first period ended. Pittsburgh led 3-1 and the shots were even at 11 apiece.
The second period saw the Lightning power play fail again. With 7:12 left in the period Ondrej Palat set up a nice play that was broken up by Brandon Sutter but Victor Hedman stayed with it and from a bad angle banked the puck off goalie Thomas Greiss and into the net. Hedman’s goal was his fourth of the season and pulled Tampa Bay to within one of Pittsburgh. Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson were credited with the assists.
The Penguins Christian Ehrhoff answered right back with his third goal of the year on the power play at 17:07. The blast from the point gave Pittsburgh a two goal lead again. Beau Bennett had the assist.
The second period ended 4-2 Pittsburgh with the Bolts out-shooting the Penguins 10-8.
The third period saw the Lightning pressure the Penguins with little results until Anton Stralman hit Alex Killorn with a stretch pass that Killorn buried past Greiss to cut the lead to one.
Thirty-four seconds later, former Bolt Steve Downie broke Tampa Bay’s back as he scored his 12th of the year from Crosby and Nick Spaling.
Downie scored an empty netter with Nabokov on the bench to make it a 6-3 final, snapping the Bolts’ four game win streak.
The Lightning out-shot the Penguins 35-29 in losing their third of four games against them this season.
Tampa Bay still has not won a game after being behind in the third period.
One positive was the solid play of Evgeni Nabokov in relief of Bishop despite not seeing game action since December 19th.
The Pens Sidney Crosby dished out four assists and was a +3 in the game.
Although Steven Stamkos had five shots in the game, he was virtually invisible.
After the game coach Cooper said it best, “I don’t feel like they beat us. We beat ourselves. That’s it.”
Radko Gudas (Lower body injury), Nikita Nesterov and J.T. Brown were the scratches.
The Lightning travel to Ottawa to play the Senators on Sunday night.
(Feature Photo/Getty Images)
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