By Jake Ricker
The Lightning to build off their 6-3 against Washington in game two of this three-game home stand as they took on the Dallas Stars. Here are Five things we noticed from the game.
Stamkos breaks his slump and gets number 500
Stamkos got off to a hot start scoring seven goals at the start of the season. He then became a little snake bitten. But tonite Stamkos broke through in a big way as he scored and picked up his 500th career assist on the game-winning goal.
Stamkos Has been a different player over the last two years, and he had another strong game tonite. Even when he wasn't scoring, Stamkos is extremely active and on top of the puck. Now that he broke the mini-slump, it would not be surprising to see his pace pick back up.
Cole gets his first
Ian Cole has now played 12 games with the Lightning, and tonite, he picked up his first goal with the team. Cole has not been super noticeable so far this season, but that can sometimes be a good thing for a defenseman.
Cole is now getting more conferrable with the offense, and this was showcased in his goal. After a shot from the point, Cole jumped up on the play and got to a loose puck, and put it into the back of the net. As Cole continues to get more conferrable with the team, he can easily become a solid top-six defender for the Bolts.
Elliott is the real deal.
While the Lightning have had some amazing people play as the backup over the last few years but Elliott has really risen to the challenge. Elliott stopped 28 of the 32 shots but made some key saves throughout the game to keep the Lightning in it.
Elliott also took a stick to the face but luckily did not sustain any major injuries. Elliott is now 4-1 on the season and has a 3.37 GA average. He has done an excellent job taking pressure off Vasilevskiy, which is something that has been an issue over the last few years.
Namestnikov struggles
Vladislav Namestnikov had a great preseason and looked like he could make a big impact for the Lightning. Unfortunately, he has not had the start to the season he wanted, with just three assists on the season.
His biggest play came on the penalty kill, where he got a burst of speed and looked to take a shot on net. However, Namestinkov barred into the goaltender and needed up taking a penalty instead. Hopefully, he can get that first goal which seems to be eluding him.
Defense banged up
The defense is currently banged up with Cal Foote and Eric Cernak out to injury. Not to mention there is some speculation that Hedman is playing with an injury. With multiple right-hand defenders out, it's forcing some to play on their weak side.
This showed in tonight's game, with defense in the Lightning's defensive zone seemingly lacking. Sergachev had the worst offense when he turned over the puck right in front of Elliott, leading to a shorthanded goal. Hedman did have a great play when he stopped a 3-on-1 during overtime.
Three Stars
Our Three Stars
1. Killorn (1G,2A)
2. Stamkos (1G,1A)
3. Robertson (1G,1A)
Media's Three Stars
1. Killorn (1G,2A)
2. Cole (1G, 1A)
3. Paul (1G,1A)
The Lightning's next game will be against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, November 17th, at 7 PM ET.
Want to start your journalism career by writing about the Tampa Bay Lightning? Send s a message via our contact form located in the upper right-hand corner under the more tab, or send us a message via Twitter to get started.
Commentaires