Raddysh Enjoys Stellar Night as Bolts Best Blues at Benchmark

By Riley Gillespie-Wilson | Thunderstruck Sports

Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports

It's safe to say that in the Tampa Bay Lightning's last game, neither they nor their coach, Jon Cooper, were overly thrilled with their first period effort. The Carolina Hurricanes wasted no time building a substantial 3-0 lead, and the Bolts were far from playing a spirited brand of winning hockey. Final score? 6-4 Lightning after an explosive comeback. What next? A fresh slate, a new first period, and a chance to start on time.

Setting the Tone

It took only 21 seconds for the Lightning, hosting St. Louis on Monday night, to rewrite their own "Blues" in the game's opening stanza.

Darren Raddysh was the catalyst, blasting one towards the high slot.

Pontus Holmberg did the rest on a re-direct, and it was 1-0 Tampa.

Raddysh Not Done

Raddysh continued to have a shot-first mentality, and it paid off as the Bolts headed to the power play for the first of three times in period one.

With the benefit of a ricochet off a Blue in front of the net, his blast tickled twine, and Tampa Bay was up 2-0 midway through the first.

From there on, the power play struggled, but the Lightning were sound defensively.

The Bolts killed a penalty of their own. While the shots were only 6-5 Tampa Bay at the end of the frame, there was significant flow to the game. Andrei Vasilevskiy made a couple of big stops as well, preserving the edge at 2-0 heading to the room.

Lead Momentarily Cut Into to Start Second

Justin Faulk is always a noticeable player when you're facing the Blues. This game was no different, and he found his way onto the scoresheet early in period two. His point shot had eyes and floated over Vasilevskiy's right pad to make it a 2-1 hockey game.

Not two minutes had passed, though, before the Bolts struck to earn back some insurance.

On a night of friendly redirects inside Benchmark International Arena, Anthony Cirelli bulged. Cirelli's deflection was quite simply perfect, creating a sharp redirect on a Raddysh shot.

"I just tried to have my stick in an area," Cirelli told Gabby Shirley at the second intermission. Seemed like he found the ideal area, and his tip made it 3-1 Tampa.

Raddysh Stays Hot

Darren Raddysh has had more than a moment in the sun. He's become a mainstay this season on the Lightning's back end, already cruising to a new career high in goals amid more minutes played.

The offensive output and 90-plus mile-per-hour blasts are almost gravy, but Cirelli was sure to commend his play, as Raddysh had put three points on the board through forty. (1G, 2A)

Holmberg, the aforementioned Raddysh, and Cirelli had the three Lightning goals, as they headed to the room up two. It remained 3-1 Bolts after the second.

Breathing Room Added to in Strong Defensive Third

While the third period and much of the night may have been classified as "boring" hockey, it's no doubt going to make coach Cooper happy, as the Lightning played a winning, playoff-type brand of hockey down the stretch to close this one out.

Oliver Bjorkstrand continued to gain steam, adding a tally to make it 4-1 about six minutes into the period. The Lightning would hold that lead to zeros, grabbing a wee win streak to head into a short holiday break.

To note: Bjorkstrand's power play goal was his 400th career point, while Raddysh's explosive performance propelled him to 100 in his NHL career.

The power play prowess will certainly make Cooper smile some more this holiday season, as it has struggled at home in recent games.

Altogether a holly jolly sendoff for the Bolts, whose next game post-Christmas will be a doozie. They'll be in Sunrise to tangle with the Panthers on Saturday, December 27th.

Three Stars of the Game

1- Darren Raddysh (TBL)

2- Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL)

3- Oliver Bjorkstrand (TBL)

Up Next

The holiday break is upon us, and the team is taking a few days to enjoy time with their families. The season resumes on Saturday night when the Lightning face the Florida Panthers in Sunrise. Game time is 7 pm.