Battle of the Best Goes to the Lightning as They Win Eighth Straight
- Michelle Gordon
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
In a battle between the best of the west versus the best of the east tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning proved themselves more than worthy! They extended their win streak to eight games and handed the Colorado Avalanche their second straight regulation loss. Nikita Kucherov had another multi-point game, while the Bolts held Nathan MacKinnon silent.
The Battle Origin
The Colorado Avalanche are far and away the best team in the league this season. They came into tonight having lost just three games in regulation all season (unfortunately, one of those regulation losses was in their last game against the stinkin' Panthers). But the Bolts were no slouches themselves, having won seven straight games to soar to the top of the Eastern Conference (by points percentage).
Power Play Keeps on Clicking
Although the Bolts have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference, one area of struggle throughout much of the season has been the power play. Fortunately for Tampa Bay fans, that power play has been coming alive as of late, scoring in all three games of the California road trip. It kept on clicking tonight! The Bolts got their first power play of the game with 1:45 remaining in the first period. With time ticking down, Jake Guentzel wristed in his 19th of the season to give his team a 1-0 lead through twenty minutes. Nikita Kucherov and Darren Raddysh both stayed red hot by notching assists on the goal.
Grinding Back in the Battle of the Best
The second period proved challenging for the Bolts. Just over three minutes in, after a flurry of activity in front of Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, Parker Kelly tied the game for Colorado.
Several minutes later, the Bolts got another power play opportunity. This time, it did not quite click. To make matters worse, the Avalanche took the lead on their ensuing rush after the succesful penalty kill. Brock Nelson scored his 19th of the season to give Colorado its first lead of the night.
But the Bolts kept right on grinding. The line of Girgensons, Gourde, and Holmberg was particularly impressive. With just about two and a half minutes remaining in the period, their efforts were rewarded. Zemgus Girgensons tallied his sixth of the season from Gourde and Holmberg to tie the game at 2-2 through two.
May the Best Team Win
The best of the west were tied with the best of the east with twenty minutes remaining in regulation. Which team would win the third period battle?
At 8:31, Brandon Hagel would strike a powerful blow for the Lightning! He snapped home his 20th of the season to give the Lightning a 3rd period lead.
The Lightning never looked back! They defended the lead masterfully, and eventually, added an empty net goal from Anthony Cirelli.
The Colorado Avalanche might not want to return to Florida any time soon as they drop 2 games in a row in regulation for the first time this season!
Three Stars
Brandon Hagel-- game winning goal, one assist
Nikita Kucherov-- two assists for another multi-point game
Zemgus Girgensons-- game tying goal and grinding all game
Up Next
The Bolts will enjoy a few days off before they start a five-game road trip. First stop is in Philadelphia with a game Saturday night against the Flyers at 7pm.
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