The Tampa Bay Lightning bounced back in a big way, taking down the top team in the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils, 5-1. Jake Guentzel led the way, picking up his eighth career hat trick and his third as a member of the Lightning.
Big Offensive Night for Lightning
The man of the night, Guentzel, opened the scoring in the first period with an unassisted goal. However, his efforts didn’t shine right away. When the Lightning extended their lead to 2-0, Anthony Cirelli arguably had the highlight of the night with a no-look pass to Nikita Kucherov that set him up for the goal.
This big play would set the Lightning up to carry that 2-0 lead to the end of the first period. Halfway through the second period, Guentzel picked up his second goal on the power play to make it 3-0.
The Devils got themselves on the board after a shot from Arseny Gritsyuk bounced off goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, giving Nico Hischier a chance to knock it in. It remained a two-goal game heading into the final period of play.
Darren Raddysh made it a three-goal game again with his second goal of the season. Along with Guentzel, this goal put him in striking distance of a three-point performance. Raddysh assisted Guentzel’s hat-trick sealing goal along with Kucherov.
Two of Guentzel’s goals came on the power play, providing the team with a breath of fresh air on special teams. They had been uncharacteristic on the power play most of the season. They’ve scored on 15.3% of their chances, which is near the bottom of the NHL this season. By comparison, the Devils, who have had one of the top power-play units this season, failed to capitalize on four opportunities.
Both teams will return to action on Thursday. The Devils will head to Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, the Lightning will host the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Three Stars of the Game
- Jake Guentzel (three goals)
- Darren Raddysh (one goal, two assists)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (.969 save percentage)
