Stars Win In Tampa
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TAMPA, Fla. — Jamie Benn already knew the value of a first shift. Saturday night just reinforced it.
The Dallas left winger scored just 40 seconds into the game, sparking his two-goal, three-point night and a first-period barrage that allowed the points-craving Stars to snatch the second wild card in the Western Conference with a 5-2 win over the Lightning at Tampa Bay Times Forum.
“The first shift of the game can mean a lot,” Benn said. “You want to take the tempo right away.”
The Stars dictated the tempo in a crucial three-goal first period, withstood a Lightning push-back in the second and finished strong in the third for their sixth win in their last eight games.
Dallas needed the win more and acted like it. The Lightning meanwhile, demonstrated another worrisome letdown and goaltender Ben Bishop, who is among the league leaders in wins and goals-against average, allowed five goals for the first time since January.
There is plenty of worry to go around for the Lightning with just a week remaining in the regular season.
“Regardless if it’s Game 1 or Game 78, we just have to continue to teach and get
better and pull a little better urgency level out of these guys and as a coaching staff we apparently have to get them better focused on playing a little bonus hockey after the regular season ends,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Hanging your hat on making the playoffs? Is that what we’re doing? If that’s the case, the playoffs won’t last very long.”
Dallas (38-28-11) moved a point ahead of Phoenix for the second Western Conference wild card and has played one fewer game than the idle Coyotes.
Tampa Bay (42-27-9) fell four points behind second-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division and home ice in their likely playoff series after the Canadiens beat Detroit 5-3 on Saturday.
The Lightning’s two-game losing streak is troubling despite its playoff security. Tampa Bay appeared morose and uninspired in a 4-1 loss to woeful Calgary on Thursday after clinching a playoff spot with a win against Montreal on Tuesday.
The Lightning vowed to learn from the experience but the lesson appeared forgotten quickly against the Stars as Benn scored his first of two first-period goals just 40 seconds in the game to give Dallas a 1-0 lead.
Benn was unchecked to the right of Bishop (23 saves) and redirected in his 31st goal of the season on a sharp cross-ice pass from defenseman Alex Goligoski, who collected his 34th assist. Center Tyler Seguin was credited with his 45th assist of the season on the play.
Benn gave Dallas a 2-0 lead with 14:23 left in the period by spinning away from two half-hearted marking attempts and wristing in a shot under Bishop’s glove. Left winger Ryan Garbutt and center Vernon Fiddler each had their 14th assist. The sequence began when Lightning defenseman Matt Carle turned over a pass from center Steven Stamkos in the defensive zone.
Just two minutes later, Tampa Bay defenseman Radko Gudas was issued a five-minute and match penalty after leveling left winger Antoine Roussel with a rising shoulder blow to the head, but the Lightning escaped still down just two goals.
That did not last until the end of the period, however, as Seguin, Dallas’ leading scorer, worked free from Lightning center Ryan Callahan in the slot and scored his 35th goal of the season from close range. Defenseman Jordie Benn had his 17th assist and Jamie Benn his 42nd.
Tampa Bay was immediately sparked in the second period, however, when center Steven Stamkos broke a three-game scoreless streak with his 24rd goal of the season, off assists from left winger Ondrej Palat and defenseman Victor Hedman.
The resulting momentum shift — and a much more dogged forecheck — allowed the Lightning to pull within 3-2 with 13:16 left in the period on defenseman Andrej Sustr’s first NHL goal. Sustr rushed the net to pop in the rebound of a Kari Lehtonen save of a shot from left winger Ryan Malone, who had his 10th assist of the season. Center Nate Thompson picked up his seventh.
“They really came with a lot of push in the second period,” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. “We told them, we won the first period and they won the second and it was time to make a statement. … At 3-2, a bounce can beat you. We got on our toes and confronted every puck.”
Another sluggish start stung the Lightning in the third period, however, as Stamkos lost the puck behind the net to Fiddler, who breezed by Carle, through the slot and backhanded in his sixth goal of the season. Dallas led 4-2.
“I make a costly mistake on that fourth goal and it just sucks the life out of us,” Stamkos said. “I know I can’t make that play at that particular time of the game. This is just the way it’s going right now. Every turnover we make is in the back of the net right now.”
Roussel scored his 13th goal of the season with 12:03 left, stuffing in a Bishop block of a Garbutt attempt. Garbutt was credited with his 15th assist and center Cody Eakin his 19th.
Lehtonen made 27 saves.
