TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning have been able to reset and move forward after a long streak or a tough loss. After an 0-3-1 streak in early November, Tampa Bay came back and beat the then-15-1-0 Winnipeg Jets, 4-1, in Amalie Arena.
Thursday night introduced the same as the Lightning hit the San Jose Sharks with five goals in the first period en route to an 8-1 win.
Coach Jon Cooper learned that in his 900-plus games as the Lightning head coach, he had never had a team score five goals in one period and has had a pair in two weeks after Tampa Bay lit the lamp five times in the first period in and 8-2 decision over Colorado two weeks ago.
Brandon Hagel scored two goals in the first period and Brayden Point recorded four assists as the Lightning moved to 13-9-2 and currently sit at seventh in the Eastern Conference.
“After two periods, the score was not indicative of the game,” summarized Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. “Everything was going in for us. Either our goalie (Andrei Vasilevskiy) was making a great save or it was hitting a stick or it was getting deflected, wide. So I’ll bet scoring chances were fairly close after two periods but the score wasn’t so, it was just one of those nights.”
Cam Atkinson opened scoring immediately as he scored on a tap-in as he deflected Conor Geekie’s one-timer at the net at 1:26 in the first period.
About six minutes later, Atkinson assisted Geekie as the Lightning center skated inside the left circle and fired past San Jose goalie Vitek Vanecek for the 2-0 advantage.
“I kind of knew my role coming in,” Atkinson said. “As a player you want to contribute as best you can. I know I can contribute. That’s what I am here for and to lead the way whenever I am on the ice.”
Cooper noted the quick push that Atkinson and Geekie gave Tampa Bay early in the game.
“I thought they jump-started us,” said Cooper. “Cam gets that tip goal early on and ‘Geek’ scores a couple of minutes after that, so they kind of got us going. When you have someone of that experience, he’s a really positive guy, too. At times when things get quiet you can expect Cam to say something that is apropo.”
Hagel followed with his two goals, which were 23 seconds apart as Tampa Bay went up 4-0 at 8:55. Lightning center Jake Guentzel scored his 11th goal of the season at 17:45 for that five-goal period; hence, the 5-0 lead after 20 minutes.
“We’re getting our chances and we were going to the net,” said Hagel. “I think there were too many odd-man rushes. Vasy had to make a ton of saves like he does all the time. He comes up huge all the time.”
Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Lightning outshot the Sharks, 36-21. Alex Wenneberg scored the lone San Jose goal with 14 seconds gone in the third period.
Anthony Cirelli and Nick Perbix added a pair of goals in the second period and Nick Paul, who was back in the lineup, rounded out the evening as he charged the goal and took a pass from Point for the team’s eighth goal.
“It is a physically demanding game in a schedule that doesn’t break and so when you get them you have to take advantage of them,” Cooper said of the Lightning’s myriad of opportunities. “We have done a really good job with that.”
