Friday, 4 a.m.
Suddenly, they are scoring like they’re playing pinball. The lamp keeps lighting, and the nets keep getting dented.
But for the Tampa Bay Lightning, there is better news.
The opposition is getting nothing.
The Bolts won their second straight rout Thursday night, clubbing Utah 8-0 behind one of the easiest shutouts of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy’s career.
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It was the sixth shutout of Vasilevskiy’s season, and the 40th of his career. Six times, Vasilevskiy has finished in the top 10 in the league in shutouts. It was also his 35th win of the year. Eight straight seasons, Vasilevskiy has won at least 30.
It’s important because playoff hockey is largely about the goaltender. A team won’t get far without one at the top of his game.
“We just played these guys a few days ago, and the game did not look like it did tonight,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “It shows that it does matter how you play in your own end. These games (the final margin) doesn’t happen very often. But it matters how we’re playing without the puck and inside the dots.”
The game was a highlight film for the Bolts. In their last two games, they have outscored their opponents 14-1. It took the Bolts most of five games before the streak to score that many goals.
Among the highlights:
— Forward Nikita Kucherov had four points (including his 32nd goal). He’s currently second in the league with 105 points.
— Defenseman Ryan McDonaugh played in his 1,000th game.
— Forward Brayden Point scored his 300th goal (his 36th on the season).
— Forward Jake Guentzel scored twice. (He’s now up to 36 goals on the season, too.)
— Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice. (He’s up to 19 on the season, counting the 16 he scored for Seattle).
— Gage Concalves and Victor Hedman also scored for the Lightning.
Cooper was especially pleased to see McDonaugh’s milestone.
“He’s a rare breed of warrior,” Cooper said. “He’s got skill. He’s got brains. And he’s nails as a guy.”
The Bolts play the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. The puck is scheduled to drop at 2 p.m. at Amalie Arena.