Monday, 3 a.m.
The best part of the Tampa Bay’s Lightning early-game nap was this. They woke up.
The Bolts started out sluggishly Sunday evening, but after an awful first period, found their game and skated to a 5-2 victory over the slumping Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Lightning managed just two shots in the first period against the Pens. They still got off only 19 shots, but an improved effort in the last two periods turned the game around. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals and had an assist, including a breakaway to snap a 2-2 tie.
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Lightning coach Jon Cooper on the best part of the first period? “The first period ending.”
“It’s hard to see what the players go through,” Cooper said. “It’s not just us, it’s all the reams. You play and get to the hotel room, and you have to be here at 3 and play at 5. J.J. (goalie Jonas Johansson) kept us in that first period. Then we got our legs.”
After Kucherov’s second goal, Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul scored empty-netters to pad the final margin.
Earlier in the game Brandon Hagel scored to tie the game at 1.
Johanssen stopped 31 of 33 shots to get the win. He is 4-3-1 on the season.
Cooper thought one of the keys was killing a second penalty in the third period after the Penguins tied the game at 2.
The Bolts are the only team in the NHL with four scorers with 20 or more. Both Kucherov and Hagel scored their 20th, joining Brayden Point (25) and Jake Guentzel (21).
Tampa Bay plays at Boston on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.