By Michael Wax
Five in a row for the Lightning, as they took care of business against the Sabres 3-1 and won the first of their weekend back-to-back. Here's how they stacked up:
Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Hagel-Cirelli-Paul
Eyssimont-Motte-Sheary
Watson-Glendening-Merelä
Hedman-Raddysh
de Haan-Perbix
Lilleberg-Crozier
Johansson in goal.
Here are our three biggest takeaways:
Let's Go Jo Jo
The big question for Jonas Johansen when Vasilevskiy returned from injury was how he would respond, going from the starter role to being the backup who doesn't play all that often. To illustrate how little he's played, Andrei Vasilevskiy's 24 starts since he came back from injury on November 24 are the most in the NHL during that span, and this game against Buffalo was just Johansson's third appearance since then. Jonas Johansson looked spectacular in this one for a guy who hasn't played since 2023.
While the defense did enough to shut down the Sabres for the first 40 minutes of play, Buffalo pushed for that tying goal early in the third. Johansson responded with a big stop on Alex Tuck on a semi-breakaway and followed that up with a beautiful glove save on Owen Power.
After four starts, it's safe to say that Johansson has acclimated very well to the backup role, putting up a .902 save percentage and holding the Lightning in each game, while also getting better in each game.
We don't know when Johanson's next game is going to be. But it was clear that he was getting tired by the end of his starting gig in mid to late November. If he can appear two to three times a month to give Vasilevsky some much-needed rest and give the Lightning a chance to win when they might not put their best effort in front of them, the Lightning should be fine going forward.
Applesauce, Anyone?
It's wild to think that the Lightning would've never gotten Tyler Motte if it hadn't been for Josh Archibald asking for his release.
The 28-year-old has been a bright light for the Lightning, not necessarily how many points he's putting up, but the effort he displays shift after shift. Ultimately, it has bred new life into a bottom six that has desperately been looking for a spark and a penalty kill that continually seems to bring out the best in players year after year. In this one, his penalty killing was the story.
On the Sabres' first power play, Mott benefited from some sloppy passing between Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch. With nothing but open ice in front of him, he took his time and skated in on Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen before going five-hole and doubling the Lightning lead to 2-0.
That goal brings some up to five goals on the season, a little behind the pace to break his single-season goal record when he scored nine as a member of the Vancouver Canucks in 2018-19. What a season for the vet.
Defending Strong
This is one of those games where the shots on goal don't tell the full story. The Lightning, overall, had a very solid defensive game, only making a few mistakes for which Johansson was able to provide last-second relief.
Whether it was the strong defensive play of Victor Hedman or the third pairing of Emil Lilleberg and Max Crozier, the Lightning defense did enough to ensure the Sabres weren't getting too many great opportunities. The same can be said for the forwards, who did a great job of forechecking and backchecking, keeping the Sabres along the wall for most of their shots. Even John Cooper, who is consistently harped on the Lightning defense, said as much post-game:
The advanced stats also backed that up:
Allowing 15 shots in a single period isn't a great recipe for success, but when you take out the first minute and a half, it felt like the Lightning were dictating where the Sabres were taking those shots from, even in their desperate attempt to tie the game. The defense has been stressed now more than ever, which is a big reason why the Lightning is on the streak they're on. It will need to continue for the Bolts as they play in the second half of a back-to-back tomorrow against Detroit in Detroit.
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