Monday, 3 a.m.
Nice turnaround, huh?
Despite a sloppy finish, the Tampa Bay Lightning roared back after a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Washington Caps, winning a 6-3 game. The Lightning had lost 5-1 to Washington on Friday.
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"I think we were extremely frustrated by the way we played (Friday)," Bolts coach Jon Cooper said. "It wasn’t anything of a physical nature. Our response today was what we needed. I wasn’t happy with the last three minutes of the game. Now we have to learn how to really close out games. We didn’t close out the game the way we should have tonight.
“But the goal is to win and we found a way to win. We have to do a little better at the end of games."
The Bolts got off to a terrific start, scoring four goals before Washington managed a shot. Mikhail Sergachev scored two goals and had two assists in the period.
Other scorers included Nikita Kucherov, Nick Perbix, Nick Paul and Cole Keopke. It was Koepke’s first goal, but it wasn't registered until after Brandon Hagel scored. Because Koehler scored, Hagel's goal was disallowed.
It was the 10th straight game Steven Stamkos has gone without scoring.
Tampa Bay will play against Dallas at Amalie Arena on Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m.