By Michael Wax
The Lightning scored five goals in the first period, and cruised their way to a 8-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
"Played well, start to finish," said Jake Guentzel. "A good 60 minutes."
Here are three things we saw from the win:
Hot Start
The Lightning went to work early, netting five goals in the first period and leaving with a 5-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Nick Perbix started things off five minutes in with a wrist shot from the right circle.
Jake Guentzel followed it up with a power play goal two minutes later.
Nikita Kucherov responded to a Colorado goal with a one-timer of his own.
Luke Glendening joined the party with a shorthanded tally, his first goal of the year.
And to finish it off, Anthony Cirelli extended his goal scoring streak to a league-high six games.
Brandon Hagel, in particular, had a period to remember, Hagel's four first period assists set a record for Lightning assists in a period and tied a Lightning record for points in a period.
"He's a heck of a player, and for him to get those points -- short-handed, power play, 5-on-5 -- just shows the versatility of the kid," said Head Coach Jon Cooper.
After the tough finish against Dallas two days ago, this was a big performance from all involved.
Stats Don't Tell All
The Lightning's five-goal first period will obviously steal the headlines, but the way it started should not go unnoticed.
Early in the game, the line of Gage Goncalves Connor Geekie, and Mikey Eyssimont went to work in the offensive zone.’s original shot got redirected out in front, and Nick Perbix was able to pot the first goal of the game. Now while Perbix’s shot was undoubtedly impressive, the most impressive aspect of this play game with Mikey Eyssimont setting an incredible screen blocking Justus Annunen's eyes and much of his ability to move without committing a penalty either.
"You have a much better chance to score when you're two feet away from the net rather than 65 feet from the net," said Cooper.
Just a minute later, Eyssimont went to work in the offensive zone again. He created several scoring chances for himself and his teammates, and then ended up drawing the penalty that would get the Lightning a 2-0 lead on it against goal.
Eyssimont was rewarded for all his hard work with a goal in the third period, his first of the year.
The work that he has displayed game in and game out, makes him an ever valuable member to this team.
Records on Records
In a matchup of Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel stole the show.
Hagel's four assists in the first, as previously mentioned, broke a Lightning record for assists in a period and tied the record for most Lightning points in a period.
Early in the second, Hagel would get his fifth assist of the game, tying the Lightning record.
The process for Hagel, and the rest of the team, made everything worth tonight with his franchise-tying game.
"Everyone in this room played the right way, got it behind them, didn't force anything, did the right things and, if we can play like that every night, I think good things are going to happen," said Hagel.
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