Sunday, 4 a.m.
Okay, who had Nick Perbix in the pool?
On the ice with Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, with Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel, Saturday night’s winning goal for the Tampa Bay Lighting came from Perbix, an unheralded defenseman who had never scored in the NHL before.
Perbix, 24, scored with 4:55 left in the game to lift the Bolts to a 5-3 win. Buffalo led 3-2 early in the third period, but the Bolts finally turned their rushes into goals.
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"You could see this was coming," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He’d been getting some good chances.
Perbix is new, but he’s not like a kid. He’s mature. He’s like all players that are new. He’s a really intelligent player."
The Bolts top line of Kucherov, Point and Hagel combed for nine points (three goals). They combined for 14 shots on goal.
Kucherov kept both his streaks arrive. He had a four-point night, a goal and three assists. He now has scored a goal in six straight games and a point in 10 straight.
Backup goalie Brian Elliott won his third game of four for the season.
“You’ve heard me say this many times," Cooper said,. I know goaltenders look at their stats -- the wins, the goals against, the save percentage and all the stuff. The great ones make timely saves. Whether it’s 6-5 or 2-1 -- what are the saves you make at the big moments?"
The Bolts play at home on Tuesday night against Edmonton at 7:30 p.m.
