Lightning Pick Up Hard-Fought Win Against Mammoth
- Mike Smith
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
Darren Raddysh and Anthony Cirelli both scored as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Utah Mammoth Monday night, 2-0. Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his second shutout of the season, stopping all 28 shots he faced.
Raddysh broke a stalemate between Vasileskiy and Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka when he slapped a Nikita Kucherov pass over Vejmelka's shoulder. The goal came on the power play at the 17:38 mark of the second period, one of two power play goals on the night.
When asked about the recent upswing in the team's power play effort, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper heaped praise on their ability to create chances and goals.
"First of all, having the big righty shot (of Raddysh's) up there is giving it a whole new dynamic," Cooper said. "Moving Kuch(erov) from the goal line even to the top of the circle, it's tough to defend."
"When you have multiple shooting threats, it can make it (the power play) dangerous. Some movements make a big difference."
Prior to the opening score, both goalies held court in an evenly matched first two periods. Utah controlled the neutral zone for the first 40 minutes of play, and if not for Vasilevskiy's performance, Utah might have won easily.
Vejmelka stopped 27 of 29 shots in the loss.
Third Period Falls for the Lightning
Tampa Bay took the momentum from Raddysh's goal with them into the third period. Outshooting Utah in the period, 10-8, the Bolts played a grinding style that wore down Vejmelka and the Utah defense as time dwindled.
Vasilevskiy continued to stop shot after shot methodically. Halfway through the third period, Mammoth forward Clayton Keller had a clear breakaway to the Lightning net. Vasilevskiy turned away the ensuing shot with relative ease to keep the shutout intact.
"It's unbelievable!" Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser exclaimed. " I think (Vasilevskiy) did a lot of the heavy lifting today. It's a very well-deserved shutout for him."
Tonight's victory was the second shutout for Vasilevskiy against the Mammoth in two games played. The all-star goalie has stopped all 53 shots he's faced against Utah.
Cirelli sealed the game with a goal at 19:14 of the third period when his wrist shot from the slot bounced off Vejmelka and across the goal line.
Bolts Rebound Nicely After Rough Weekend
Monday night's win came just days after a humbling loss to Columbus that ended the Lightning's15-game point streak. Many pondered how Tampa Bay would respond following the 8-5 loss.
"Maybe it was the delayed flight (after Saturday's game)," Raddysh said. "We all sat in there and watched some TV, watched some UFC, and kind of forgot about the game."
"When a streak ends, it's hard, but you just have to go back to what you're doing those last couple games and figure out what was working and just build off that."
According to Raddysh, he thought the team responded accordingly.
"Once we got one, we wanted to manage the speed (of the game)," Raddysh continued. "They're a good, fast team. I thought we had a good defensive effort early on in this game."
Three Stars of the Game
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped all 28 shots he faced, including some key saves early to keep the Bolts from falling behind quickly.
Darren Raddysh, Tampa Bay. Tough, smart hockey led to Raddysh earning the game-winning goal on the power play.
Karel Velmelka, Utah. Stopped 27 of 29 shots, keeping Utah in the game until late.
Up Next
The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Puck drop is at 7 pm.
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