By Michael Wax
The Lightning shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0, getting some revenge from a few weeks ago. Haydn Fleury drew in for Ian Cole, but the rest of the lineup remained the same. Here are a few things we noticed from the loss.
Big Boys Came to Play
Remember when Jon Cooper sat Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos for an entire period against Buffalo and then the Lightning got their show run against the Hurricanes the next day? Many people looked at that as the beginning of the end for this crew, but they were just getting started. In this game, Stamkos and Point both had three points, while Kucherov's two assists put him in rarified air as one of four players to have multiple seasons of 75+ assists in the 21st century.
Vasy
Last time I wrote, I mentioned that Andrei Vasilevskiy had been good but had allowed some soft goals. The solution, apparently, was to not allow any goals. Vasilevskiy had a bit of a difficult time early tracking rebounds, but found a way to lock in and make some huge saves in his third shutout of the year and 31st of his career. I'd like to see Vasy rest more with only eight games left on the season, but if he rides hot into the postseason that would be huge too.
Are you Raddy? Yes We're Raddy
When the Lightning made it clear that Darren Raddysh was their solution to the right side of the defense before the deadline, excitement was low. Raddysh had put up a ton of points and was good offensively in Syracuse, but his defensive game had left a lot to be desired.
Credit to Raddysh, who has mostly kept his head above water and then had the best game of his career against the Hurricanes. While his first career assist was taken away after further review, he put his best foot forward on both ends and has shown a lot of confidence recently.
Three Stars
Media’s three stars
1. Point (2 goals, 1 assist)
2. Vasilevskiy (31 saves on 31 shots)
3. Stamkos (1 goal, 2 assists)
Our three stars
1. Vasilevskiy (31 saves on 31 shots)
2. Point (2 goals, 1 assist)
3. Stamkos (1 goal, 2 assists)
The Lightning's next game will be against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, March 30, at 7:00 PM ET.
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