By Jake Ricker
Last night, the Lightning took on the San Jose Sharks. Despite an extended break, the Lightning came out swinging and never looked back. Here is everything we noticed from the Lightning's 8-1 blowout win over the San Jose Sharks
Dominating Start
The Lightning dominated the start to this game, scoring five goals in the first period. The Lightning did give up nine shots on goal, but from start to finish, there was no question who was controlling the period. The Lightning typically struggle in games after long breaks, but for the second time this season, the team has looked great right out of the gate. Brandon Hagel x2, Cam Atkinson, Connor Geekie, and Jake Guentzel all got on the board in the first 20 minutes. All of this coming without the Lightning's top scorer, Nikita Kucherov. It's a very positive sign for the Lightning, showing they can still score without Kucherov.
Cooper spoke on the team's fast starts after the game
"We've scored the first goal numerous times this year where it didn't feel like other years we have. It's crazy, Julien (BriseBois) told me in my career, 900 games I'd never had a first period where we scored five goals and now it's happened twice in two weeks. So, it's a weird game."
Brayden Point
There were a lot of guys who stepped up in tonight's game, including Cam Atkinson, who scored the game's first goal, or Brandon Hagel, who scored not once but twice. However, it was Brayden Point who netted four assists, almost looking like Nakita Kucherov effortlessly getting the puck where it needed to be. Point after the game, talked about the Lightning's need to keep their foot on the gas even after scoring five goals in the first saying.
"We are not a team that can coast at any time; regardless of the score, we have to play the same way, or else we could find ourselves in trouble."
Point continues to be one of the top-scoring players on the Lightning, but tonight, we got to see his ability to be a playmaker, something the Lightning can benefit from when Kucherov is not on the ice.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Some started to question whether Vasilevskiy was playing his best hockey after some tough recent performances. But in True Vasilevskiy fashion, he bounced back in a huge way, giving up just one goal on 21 shots. While he wasn't tested a ton, Vasy made all the necessary saves, big or small.
Vasilevskiy continues to try and find that consistency, but any night he can play like he did tonight, there is no question he is still one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. Vasilevskiy continues to give the Lightning a chance to win each and every night, and you can't ask for much more than that.
Next up for the Lightning, they will head to Vacover to start their Canadian road trip, starting with the Canucks. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 PM EST on Sunday.
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