Wednesday, 4 a.m.
Maybe you’ve seen this game before. Maybe you’ve heard the talk about tough calls and wasted scoring chances. Maybe this is all too familiar.
It all comes with being a mediocre team.
The Bolts lost to Winnipeg Tuesday night, 4-2, to fall to 18-16-5 on the season. Even worse, te Bolts are 7-11-2 on the toad this season.
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Starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy lost his third straight and fell to 8-8 on the season. In 16 starts, Vasilevskiy has given up 46 goals.
The Bolts started well, getting a first-period goal from Steven Stamkos to take a 1-0 lead. It was the 202nd power play of Stamkos’ career, tying him with Steve Yzerman for 18th on the all-time list.
After that, the Bolts struggled. They gave up four straight goals — three on assists by Vlad Namestnikov.
Nikita Kucherov scored with 17 seconds to play to make the score closer. Kucherov now has 63 points on the season to lead the NHL.
Because of injuries, the Bolts played with only five defensemen. Four of those played more than 20 minutes, with Victor Hedman logging 29:14.
Tampa Bay’s road trip continues Thursday night when they visit the Minnesota Wild at 8 p.m.