FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Lightning - Game 32

Entering the game the Lightning had not played since last Thursday, again due to COVID-19 issues within the NHL.

This was evident in the first period as the Golden Knights were the better team and led in shots 17-5 after one.

However, the Golden Knights found themselves down by one to start the game. In the Golden Knight’s defensive zone, Mikhael Sergachev forced Michael Amadio to turnover the puck. He then fed Gabriel Fortier, who scored blocker-side on Brossoit for his first-career NHL goal.

Also, in the first period, Mark Stone ran into b after attempting to steal the puck from him as Stone does. But Stone was shaken up after the collision and crawled to the bench. He would later leave the game in the second period after he scored two goals.

The first of Stone’s goals came on the powerplay after Correy Perry tripped up William Karlsson. In a bit of a reverse fashion play, it was Max Pacioretty who set up Stone on the doorstep for a goal. The Golden Knights have scored a powerplay goal in six of their last seven games.

Chandler Stephenson took a delay of a game penalty late in the first period, and 1:23 seconds carried over to the second period. After the Golden Knights killed the penalty, Stephenson and Stone worked a give-and-go in the offensive zone.

Stephenson drew three Lightning players towards him, and the Lightning completely forgot about Stone, who received the pass from Stephenson and scored his second goal of the game.

The Golden Knights continued their pressure and were the far better team for the first half of the game. Reilly Smith and the misfit line had yet another strong game. Smith finished the night with seven shots on goals but could not break end his now ten-game scoreless drought.

Another member of the misfit line in Jonathan Marchessault ripped a shot up high on Andrei Vasilevskiy, which broke his mask. While Vasilevskiy was waiting for his mask to be fixed, the Lightning took a timeout and put Brian Elliott in the game.

Elliott played a whopping five seconds as Sergachev stopped the clock as soon as he could to get the Vezina-winning, Playoff MVP, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Vasilevskiy back in the net as quickly as possible.

But even Vasilevskiy could not stop Nicolas Roy, who turned into Connor McDavid and dangled through three Lightning players, including Victor Hedman of all people. Roy and his slick mitts lit the lamp for the Golden Knights, and the team led 3-1.

An electric goal, against the Lightning nonetheless.

The Golden Knights seemed to be in complete control with a two-goal lead midway through the second.

But the Lightning clawed their way back into the game with two big goals. Former Golden Knight Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored in the slot, and former Erie Otter Anthony Cirelli scored off a rebound chance.

It was also around this time when captain Mark Stone left the game and did not return for the Golden Knights.

In the third period, Stephenson snuck around the Lightning’s defense with a burst of speed and got a nice backhanded chance. Sergachev blew a tire, trying to stop him. But Vasilevskiy once again made the save. He finished the game with 29 saves on 41 shots.

Marchessault took a hooking call on Steven Stamkos and Stamkos made him pay. With four seconds left on the penalty, Stamkos fired home a power-play goal from his office, and the Lightning took the lead 4-3.

The Golden Knights failed to score on their only powerplay chance in the period. There was potential for another Golden Knights powerplay opportunity as Alex Killorn swept Ben Hutton off his feet, but not in a romantic way. However, the play was not called.

Brossoit was pulled around the two-minute mark, and head coach Peter DeBoer used his timeout with 37 seconds left. The last chance from the misfit line and Pacioretty would not go, and the Golden Knights ran out of time. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the game 4-3.