Lightning Defeats Stars
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DALLAS — The Tampa Bay Lightning blew two leads on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. But center Tyler Johnson delivered the game winner, his second goal of the night with 3:37 remaining in regulation, as the Lightning handed the Stars a 5-3 defeat at American Airlines Center.
Both of Johnson’s goals came in the third period. His first was at 12:27 when he scored on the power-play by beating goaltender Kari Lehtonen top shelf from the right circle after right winger Nikita Kucherov set the table perfectly with a cross-ice pass.
Johnson then added a second tally, his 19th of the season, with 3:37 remaining when he deflected a shot by center Brian Boyle from the left point through Lehtonen’s five-hole for the eventual game-winner.
“It hit me in the blade,” Johnson said. “I just tipped it. It went five-hole. I knew that one went in. I was pretty pumped. I think (Boyle) thought he got it though.”
The game was 2-2 after two periods, and was 3-3 with less than four minutes left. Kucherov added an empty-net goal with 1:17 remaining, sealing the win.
Lightning rookie goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 of 36 shots.
“Well, what you can you say about that kid?,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Your goalie’s got to
give you a chance to win the game. When Dallas was buzzing, he was the calm in the storm. He gave us a chance to be tied going into the third. If we don’t have him, we don’t win that game.”
Tampa Bay (33-15-5) led 2-0 after one period thanks to goals from center Steven Stamkos and defenseman Victor Hedman.
Stamkos opened the scoring with his 28th of the season 3:11 into the game when he tapped in a wobbling puck at the far post. Tampa Bay defenseman Mark Barberio had the initial shot from the left point, but his shot deflected off the stick of Dallas right winger Patrick Eaves prior to reaching Stamkos, who got just enough on the puck to knock it in.
The Lightning added a second at 6:42 of the first when Hedman blistered a slap shot past Lehtonen from the high slot for his sixth of the season. Stamkos picked up the lone assist with his pass to Hedman, who beat Lehtonen far post.
Lehtonen was set up to make a glove save, but the puck landed in the opposite side of the net.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff didn’t pull any punches when asked for his assessment of Lehtonen’s performance.
“Kari wasn’t good enough for us tonight,” Ruff said. “He’s got to be better for us. That power-play goal for me is a goal that he misread. It should have been a save.”
Dallas answered with two goals in a span of 15 seconds in the middle frame to make it a 2-2 game. Rookie defenseman John Klingberg made it 2-1 with a wrist shot from the edge of the right circle at 15:21 of the second, a flick that landed in the upper left corner of the visiting net.
Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski then delivered an equalizer after he tapped in a pass by center Vernon Fiddler off the rush at 15:36 of the second. It was Goligoski’s second goal of the season and first in 27 games.
Dallas tied it briefly when defenseman Trevor Daley rang a wrist shot off the far post for his 13th of the season 1:14 after Johnson’s first tally.
“In the third period, we weren’t very good,” Goligoski said. “We were really only played a good game for the second period. We were a little flat in the first. You’ve got to put them behind you. There’s no time to sulk. You have to move on.”
Lehtonen left the ice with 1:46 remaining, 29 seconds before Kucherov clinched the victory.
Lehtonen stopped 24 of 28 shots.
