Two of the NHL’s top teams faced off Tuesday night at Benchmark International Arena, giving fans 60 minutes of high-level hockey.
It was a fitting night for the matchup, starting with a pregame ceremony honoring Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who recently reached a 1,000-game milestone. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was also in attendance as the league continues preparations for the upcoming NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 1.
After winning seven straight games, the Lightning were looking forward to playing a difficult opponent Tuesday night, hosting an Avalanche team on pace to set an NHL record for points in a season. The Bolts rose to the challenge, handing Colorado just its fourth regulation loss in 42 games and moving into a tie with Carolina for the Eastern Conference lead with 55 points.
“In the end, I thought we defended pretty well. When adversity hit, we responded,” said Cooper. “The power play scored, the penalty kill was great. So, all the little areas where there could have been a chink in the armor, the boys stood strong, and we’re sitting here with another win. That's a really, really good team. I see why they have the record they have.”
Just as the first period looked like it would end scoreless, Jake Guentzel broke through with 12 seconds remaining, converting on the power play.
Colorado tied the game 3:22 into the second period when Parker Kelly capitalized on a loose puck. The Avalanche took their first lead at the 9:31 mark, as Brock Nelson’s shot from the left faceoff circle deflected off Erik Cernak’s stick and found the net. The Lightning answered late in the period, with Zemgus Girgensons tying the game before the second intermission.
”It was big,” Girgensons said of his goal. “It was a great play by (Pontus Holmberg), and an unbelievable play by Gourdo. I just had to tap it in…I just tried crashing the net there and hoped for the best, and Gourdo put it right on the tape.”
Anthony Cirelli added an empty-net goal to seal the 4-2 win for the Lightning.
“I think everyone’s just buying in,” said Brandon Hagel. “It's fun to come to the rink when you're winning, that's for sure. Obviously, we're doing a lot of it on the road, and when you're able to do it at home, that's fun as well. I think everyone in the room is just buying into what we've been talking about for a long time, and when it's fun to come to the rink, wins are happening, the vibe is good. That's kind of what's going on here.”