By Jake Ricker
Last night the Lightning welcomed the Captian Steven Stamkos home for the first time since joining the Nashville Predators. After an emotional tribute, the Lightning eventually scored in overtime to secure a 3-2 victory. Here are three things we noticed from the win.
Steven Stamkos The Steven Stamkos tribute surpassed all expectations. How do you honor a player who was a 10-year captain, 2x Stanley Cup Winner, community legend, and countless franchise record holder? The Lightning did another great job with a touching tribute, which you can watch below.
After the video tribute, Stamkos received what was one of the loudest standing ovations ever seen at Amalie from the Lightning faithful, along with a chant of his name as play rolled on. Stamkos would go on to secure _____ during the game and received cheers each time his name was announced. A touching moment for the best to ever play in Tampa Bay.
Costly Mistakes
The Lightning have, at times, looked very good and, at others, looked shaky at best. One of the big issues plaguing the Lightning is making costly mistakes. Tonight, both Nashville goals were the result of just that.
The first which came on a Nashville power play when JJ Moser took his second penalty of the night, something the young defenceman will learn you can not do. The second goal came late in the period off a bad line change, which gave Nyquist a breakaway from which to beat Vasilevskiy. Mistakes will happen, but the Lightning have got to limit the silly ones that turn costly.
Power Play
The Lightning's power play continues to be a work in progress, but it did have some glimpses of brilliance tonight. Late in the third, the Lightning used a different power play strategy with a unit of Kucherov, Point, Hagel, and Guentzel, with only Hedman rotating for Moser on the second unit. These players really seemed to benefit from the extended time on the ice and mustered a few good chances.
The Lightning will continue to experiment with their power play, and it was weird to see Stamkos on the opposing power play, but there were definitely positive signs that the unit could be moving in the right direction.
Final Thoughts
The Lightning played well in the first and third periods but struggled in the second. While it wasn't a complete 60 minutes, the Lightning got the job done in overtime thanks to a tap-in goal by Nick Paul. This was a big two points as next, the Lightning will head out on a four-game road trip, starting off against the Colorado Avalanche.
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