The Carolina Hurricanes lost 8-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning Friday night at PNC Arena.
The Canes played the game they wanted at even strength, dominating the Bolts early, but a parade to the penalty box cost them.
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Tampa Bay went 4-for-5 on the power play and shot 57.14% over the course of the game, scoring 8 times on just 14 shots.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves in his season debut for the Lightning and Antti Raanta, who returned to the crease tonight despite leaving after just one period of play Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, had a 0.429% save percentage.
First Period
Carolina came to play, not only putting the pressure on Tampa Bay, but also holding them to just a single shot on goal — a 90-foot wrister from the redline.
The Hurricanes outshot the Bolts 8-1 through the opening 20 minutes and outchanced them 28-7, but too often that hasn't translated to early leads for the Canes. However, they actually had something to show for their efforts tonight.
A terrific one-touch pass from below the goal line by Jack Drury set up Stefan Noesen in the slot and the veteran forward wasted no time in roofing it past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Perhaps the only thing that went well for the Lightning in the opening from was the fact that they blocked 10 shots.
Second Period
Well... after a dominant 20 minutes, the Hurricanes completely imploded.
Three straight penalties by the Canes led to three straight goals for the Lightning on three straight shots.
First Andrei Svechnikov took a completely avoidable, offensive-zone tripping penalty — his seventh straight game with a penalty — and then Steven Stamkos hammered home a shot off a cross-ice feed by Nikita Kucherov.
Then Jesperi Kotkaniemi blew a tire and slid into a Bolt player to take another tripping penalty. Brandon Hagel laced a cross-ice pass to Kucherov for the second goal.
Michael Bunting then immediately put his team back down a man as he high sticked Cole Koepke on the opening draw off Tampa's second goal and Kucherov put a slap pass right onto Brayden Point's tape who was standing alone in the crease.
All this within the first six minutes of the period.
The Hurricanes battled back, scoring a power play goal of their own as Michael Bunting rocketed home a spinning puck, and cut the deficit to one after 40 minutes.
Third Period
The Canes started to look like they were building towards an equalizer with chances mounting, but things quickly unraveled.
Hagel finished off a feed by Point off the rush just five minutes into the period and then a minute later, Luke Glendening scored on a wraparound.
The Canes followed that up with a bad power play and after the kill, the Lightning turned up ice and Point scored his second of the night off of blown coverage.
Then Kucherov got his second after rushing up the middle of the ice and dangling Jaccob Slavin to get a shot free which beat Raanta glove high.
And to finish it all off, Point got the hat trick, yet again on the power play off a feed from Kucherov, in the closing minutes.