Paul, Guentzel Lead Lightning To Stunning Win Over Oilers

Mike Smith
3 hours ago
3 min read

By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports

Vasilevsky in crease — Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning came from behind to defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Photo credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports

Jake Guentzel scored 1:43 into overtime to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a come-from-behind victory over the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Nick Paul returned to action for the first time this season since having pre-season wrist surgery to score the game-tying goal with less than three minutes left to play.

It marked the 200th point of Paul's NHL career.

The first period began auspiciously when Edmonton's Trent Frederic scored 1:32 into the game. Leon Draisaitl intercepted an Emil Lilleberg pass and fed the puck to Frederic, who snapped the puck just over the shoulder of Bolts' goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The momentum stayed in favor of Edmonton for the remainder of the period, as stars Conor McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers' lines spent a majority of time in the Lightning zone. Edmonton outshot Tampa Bay, 12-8, in the opening stanza.

The Lightning did a better job creating chances in the second period, yet could not score. Goalie Calvin Pickard, along with the Oilers' defense, limited the Boits' opportunities, leading to some frustration for Tampa Bay.

Paul Returns and Sets the Tone

Paul was absent for the first 19 games of the season, yet he came back playing as though he hadn't missed any games. The Mississauga native recorded a goal, three shots, four hits, and two takeaways.

Paul tied the game at one when he made a move through the right circle and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Pickard with 2:32 left to play. The goal put the Benchmark crowd into a frenzy.

"I just got opened up (and) the puck was there. I saw Gordo (Yanni Gourde) driving the net, and I was just waiting for him to get by," Paul recounted of the goal. "(I) just lowered that shoulder and tried to get that soft shot over the short side with a screen, hoping that the goalie slides. Ended up being the perfect spot."

Paul's return to the ice brought a noticeable boost to the team's energy and contributed to their success tonight.

"Yeah, (Nick's) a great player," J.J. Moser said after the game. "He gives a lot of energy to the team. So it was very nice to have him back, for sure."

"Nick's a really popular player within the team," Head Coach Jon Cooper said. "He's a talker on the bench, and he gets guys going. I just know it's great to have him back, especially when he was the one who scored the goal."

"He makes an unreal play!" Moser continued. "Just pulls it from the back with his forehand, which is not easy, and then goes top shelf. A very nice goal and super happy for him that he comes back and scores a big goal like that right away."

Guentzel Continues to Shine

The Lightning completed the comeback when Guentzel scored from the left faceoff circle, beating Pickard. The play went end-to-end and was started by a giant double save by Vasilevskiy.

Vasilevskiy stopped Darnell Nurse's wrist shot from the left circle. Then the Russian star-netminder immediately made a toe save on Jack Roslovic's rebound attempt from point-blank range.

Nikita Kucherov scooped up the resulting rebound and passed it to Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. Raddysh found Guentzel from there, and the Bolts found themselves victorious.

"I almost didn't see the goal. I got lightheaded from the jump," Paul said of Guentzel's goal in OT. "It was unreal. I think the whole bench just jumped up, and my hands were in the air. We are going down, and you know Guentz is going five-hole, Raddy with the great feed across, so it was unreal."

"You could feel the energy in the building. The place was going bananas, so it was lots of fun."

Guentzel scored his fifth goal in the last three games, which includes a hat trick against New Jersey on Tuesday night.

"It's unreal," Moser said. "I think those are the moments we all live for, and that is what makes sports so great, because you really can't make this up, not even if you were trying to make a movie."

Three Stars of the Game

Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay. Scores the game winner for his fifth goal in three games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped 22 of 23 shots and made two clutch saves in overtime to set up the game-winning play.
Nick Paul, Tampa Bay. Returns to the ice for the first time this season to score the game-tying goal with minutes left in regulation.