The Tampa Bay Lightning showed last night that they aren’t quite ready to vacate their title as Florida’s best hockey team, with a convincing 6-1 victory over the Panthers. While the Panthers kept the flow of play relatively even in the first and third periods, a thoroughly dominant middle frame was enough to propel the Bolts to the finish line. Here are yesterday’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Andrei Vasilevskiy’s First Period
Before the Lightning got their feet under them, they were once again reliant on their all-star goaltender. He stopped 11 shots against in the first period, while the guys in front of him only managed to take four of their own. Without Vasilevskiy, the Panthers could have staked out an early lead and been off to the races for a second straight game. Vasilevskiy holding the game at nil through the first 20 let the Bolts take control in the second.

Thumbs Up: The Second Period, as a Whole
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Lightning generated 63% of the expected goals at five-on-five in the second stanza. They looked every bit as impressive as the numbers suggest.

Thumbs Up: Tyler Johnson’s Two Goals
It’s been a tough year for Tyler Johnson in a lot of ways, so it was nice to see him deliver a performance worthy of praise yesterday. His two goals, the second and third of his season, were a major reason that the Lightning were able to come out of the middle period with such a commanding lead. Both goals served as examples of a player finding his way into the right position, and being rewarded for it. Beyond the goals, Johnson’s underlying numbers were also very strong relative to most of his teammates.

Thumbs Up: Gemel Smith’s Debut
What an excellent story Gemel Smith’s season debut turned out to be. He factored in on two scoring plays, and was noticeable for the right reasons in limited minutes. His play on Johnson’s first goal of the night was particularly noteworthy, as he singlehandedly kept control of the puck along the boards, won a puck battle, and cycled the puck into the slot for the score. Johnson got primary credit for the goal, but it was Gemel Smith who really did the legwork. Having depth like Smith, that can slot into the lineup and contribute on short notice, is so important in the NHL today.

Thumbs Up: The Best Hockey of Ondrej Palat’s Career
Another goal, another assist for Ondrej Palat, who has been playing some of the best hockey in his career since the return to play last Fall.

Thumbs Up: The Best Hockey of Mathieu Joseph’s Career
Another goal, another assist for Mathieu Joseph, who has been playing some of the best hockey in his career since this season started.

Thumbs Up: Alex Volkov’s First Career Goal
17 games into his National Hockey League career, Alex Volkov finally has his first career goal. Again the result of some great work along the boards by Gemel Smith, Volkov finished off the rush by beating Sergei Bobrovsky with conviction. While he has struggled on the ice at times during his short tenure with the Lightning, Volkov remains an important piece of the “next generation” of Bolts forwards. Hopefully he can build on this moment and deliver more of them moving forward.

Thumbs Up: The Feeling of a Rivalry
It’s been a while since the Florida/Tampa Bay dynamic felt like a true rivalry, but it started to feel like that yesterday. That’s a big plus for the sport in the State.

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The 10-2-1 Lightning will be back in action against the Panthers on Monday.

As always, thanks for reading.

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