NHL
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning Defeat Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 with an Epic Call
Published
7 years agoon
TAMPA BAY, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – “To score or not to score, that is the question.”
Okay, so it’s a digression from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but the Tampa Bay Lightning need a huge stop or maybe a huge momentum booster to kick-start what has been a tough 4-3-1 start out of the blocks in the 2019-20 season.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy put a glove on Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang’s wrister as time ran out in regulation for a game-winning stop as Tampa Bay survived an ostentatious Penguins forecheck on the final shift of the game in securing a 3-2 win at Amalie Arena on Wednesday evening.
There was some question whether the puck crossed the line as the clock struck zero at the end of regulation. The officials ruled that it never crossed the line, which prompted a five-minute review–which seemed like five hours–out of the NHL’s command center in Toronto.
When referee Tim Peel came back to the ice, the eerily quiet arena broke into cheers as the ruling was confirmed and Vasilevskiy once again escaped with another major effort in a highly dramatic win.
The anticipation of the length of the review seemed like it eclipsed the lengthy two hours and 40 minutes that it took to play the entire three periods as all of the replay angles were inconclusive.
“You guys are all still here?” quipped Lightning coach John Cooper. “Just imagine if the puck crossed the line. They couldn’t tell with HD cameras, so I couldn’t tell from the bench.”
The dramatic ending came only 58 seconds after Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman struck a slapshot on the power play from about 52 feet in front of the goal. It went by Pittsburgh goalie Jerry Tristan, who stopped 45 of 48 Lightning shots.
“Once you get one, they usually follow,” Lightning center Steven Stamkos explained. “Especially for a player like Heddy who is up in the rush and it was good for our power play. We earned some breaks at the end, getting a couple of power plays, and it was nice to see one go in.”
The power play has been a missing entity for the Lightning so far this season as they have connected on only six of 25 odd-man opportunities through nine games.
“A little of an Achilles heel is not shooting enough and Heddy has to shoot it,” said Cooper. “It is another threat when Heddy is up there shooting it and he did and it went in.”
The Lightning went to the third period trailing 2-1, but center Cedric Paquette, playing in his first game since a preseason shoulder injury sidelined him for the first eight games, scored on a tip-in at 7:07 to tie the game at 2-2.
Paquette was elated to join the lineup as the injuries to both him and Brayden Point have hampered the Lightning in the middle of the ice early this season.
“It has been a long three weeks not being on the ice, and it feels good to be on the ice and helping the team,” said Paquette, “Every time our fourth line gets a goal, it’s nice and my first of the season, it’s huge.”
Vasilevskiy once again rebounded nicely as he had a tough outing on Saturday in a 6-2 loss where he had only 18 stops on 24 shots .He stopped 37 of 39 pucks on Wednesday evening.
“Vasy with another highlight reel save and it was good to get a good break there and I thought we deserved it,” noted Stamkos, who assisted Hedman’s game-winner. “We played hard for the most part and it was a comeback for us and it was good to see a call go that way.”
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Ken Cross is a Tampa Bay Lightning reporter fro Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com
NHL
Lightning Sign D Mikhail Sergachev, F Anthony Cirelli and D Erik Cernak to Eight-Year Contract Extensions
Published
4 years agoon
July 13, 2022
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, forward Anthony Cirelli and defenseman Erik Cernak each to an eight-year contract extension, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Sergachev, 24, has skated in 362 career regular season games, 358 of them with the Lightning, notching 36 goals and 174 points. He ranks fifth all-time in Tampa Bay franchise history among defensemen for goals and scoring and fourth for assists (138). The former ninth overall pick (of Montreal) in the 2016 NHL Draft has also played in 92 postseason games and posted eight goals and 30 points. He ranks second in Lightning history among defensemen for playoff games, goals, assists (22) and scoring. Sergachev’s eight-year contract is worth an AAV of $8.5 million.
Cirelli, 24, has skated in 294 career NHL games, all with the Lightning, recording 66 goals and 159 points. During the 2021-22 season, Cirelli posted 17-26—43 points in 76 games played, one point shy of his career high 16-28—44 pts. from the 2019-20 season. He led Tampa Bay forwards for blocked shots (67), ranked sixth in the NHL for penalties drawn (42) and finished fifth in Selke Trophy voting in 2021-22. In postseason play, Cirelli has notched 14 goals and 34 points in 92 games, ranking 11th all-time in Lightning playoff history for scoring. Cirelli’s eight-year contract is worth an AAV of $6.25 million.
Cernak, 25, has skated in 226 career NHL games, all with the Lightning, posting 16 goals, 59 points and a plus-51 rating. During the 2021-22 regular season, the Kosice, Slovakia native notched a goal and 13 points and led the Lightning for hits (165) in 55 games. Cernak has played in 73 career postseason games, recording two goals and 19 points. He netted the Stanley Cup-opening goal in Game 1 of the 2021 Cup Final versus Montreal, becoming the first Tampa Bay player to net his first career playoff goal in a Stanley Cup Final. A second round selection of the Los Angeles Kings (43rd overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft, Cernak was traded to the Lightning on February 26, 2017. Cernak’s eight-year contract is worth an AAV of $5.2 million.
NHL
NHL: Lightning Re-Sign Forward Simon Ryfors to a One-Year, Two-Way Contract
Published
4 years agoon
June 20, 2022By
FNN SPORTS
TAMPA BAY –The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed forward Simon Ryfors to a one-year, two-way contract, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced.
Ryfors, 24, played in 72 games during the regular season for the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay’s American Hockey League affiliate, posting 11 goals and 35 points, ranking tied for seventh on the Crunch for scoring. He also skated in five Calder Cup Playoff games with the Crunch and notched a goal, assist and a plus-four rating.
The Stockholm, Sweden native originally signed with the Lightning organization on May 12, 2021. Prior to that, he skated seven seasons with Rogle BK of the SHL, tallying 41 goals and 93 points to go along with 165 penalty minutes in 250 games. He set career bests in the SHL in 2020-21 for goals (25), assists (20) and points (45).
NHL
Lightning Acquire F Brandon Hagel, Two 4th Round Picks from Chicago
Published
4 years agoon
March 18, 2022By
FNN SPORTS
TAMPA BAY, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Source: Tampa Bay Lightning // The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward Brandon Hagel, Chicago’s fourth-round selection in 2022 and fourth-round pick in 2024 from the Blackhawks in exchange for forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, Tampa’s first-round selection in 2023 and first-round selection in 2024, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today. Both first-round picks the Lightning are sending to Chicago are top 10 protected.
Hagel, 23, has played in 55 games so far this season for Chicago, recording 21 goals and 37 points. Hagel ranks second on the Blackhawks for goals and game-winning goals (3) and fourth for scoring and power-play goals (4). In 108 games with Chicago over three seasons, Hagel has posted 30 goals and 61 points. He made his NHL debut March 11, 2020 versus San Jose, the only game he played during the 2019-20 season. Hagel is under contract through the 2023-2024 season with a salary cap number of $1,500,000.
