Lightning show fight but fall to Utah on Saturday
Offense was plentiful on Saturday for both teams at Delta Center during a 5 p.m. NHL contest that ended with the host Utah Hockey Club beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4.
Tampa Bay is now 40-24-5 this season and will close a back-to-back on Sunday when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights for an 8 p.m. game.
Utah led 2-0 before the Lightning scored back-to-back goals to tie the game in period two. Utah claimed a 3-2 lead 30 seconds after Tampa Bay had tied the game, but Jake Guentzel tied the score 3-3 late in the period.
Utah again regained its lead with 2:07 left in the second frame, and neither team scored in the third period before Alex Kerfoot’s empty-net goal sealed the result.
Jake Guentzel led the Lightning with a goal and two assists. Goalie Brandon Halverson finished his first career NHL start with 19 saves.
Scoring summary
First period
UTA 1, TBL 0
6:42 Josh Doan (5) – Jack McBain, Lawson Crouse
Josh Doan scored in front of the Lightning net when he buried a pass by teammate Jack McBain from below the goal line.
UTA 2, TBL 0
17:42 Logan Cooley (20) – Michael Kesselring, Nick Schmaltz
Utah extended its lead when forward Logan Cooley found a loose puck and deposited the rebound following a breakaway by defenseman Michael Kesselring.
UTA 2, TBL 1
18:49 Brayden Point (32) – Jake Guentzel, Oliver Bjorkstrand – PP
Tampa Bay halved its disadvantage on the power play. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jake Guentel forced a turnover behind the Utah net and Guentzel found Point in front, where the latter beat Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka.
Shots on goal: UTA 9, TBL 5
Second period
UTA 2, TBL 2
5:22 Anthony Cirelli (24) – Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov
Tampa Bay tied the game when Anthony Cirelli buried a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Brandon Hagel in the left corner.
UTA 3, TBL 2
5:58 Alexander Kerfoot (9) – Kevin Stenlund, John Marino
Utah regained the lead shortly after Tampa Bay’s tying goal. Alexander Kerfoot redirected the puck at the right post following a pass by Kevin Stenlund from the left wall.
UTA 3, TBL 3
17:23 Jake Guentzel (34) – Nick Perbix, Guentzel
The Lightning evened the score again late in period two, this time on a deflection from Guentzel on a Nick Perbix shot from the right point.
UTA 4, TBL 3
17:53 Cooley (21) – Marino, Schmaltz
Utah answered the tying goal from the Lightning with Cooley’s second score of the game, this one coming on a deflected shot from the blue line.
Shots on goal: TBL 13, UTA 7
Third period
UTA 5, TBL 3
1:10 Schmaltz (17) – Cooley, Clayton Keller
Schmaltz found his own rebound on a chance in the opening segments of the third period and buried the puck to extend Utah’s lead to two goals.
UTA 5, TBL 4
2:54 Point (34) – Ryan McDonagh, Guentzel
Point’s second goal of the game drew the Lightning within a goal of Utah, this time scoring on a netfront tip following a Ryan McDonagh shot from the left point.
UTA 6, TBL 4
19:04 Kerfoot (10) – EN
An empty-net goal finalized the score.
Total shots: TBL 26, UTA 25
