Insider: Instant Reaction Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 2
Suddenly, the Tampa Bay Lightning is on a roll. The Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Tuesday night, sending the team into the all-star break with its fourth straight win. The Lightning got contributions from both rookies and veterans alike, and even got contributions from the power play as well, as the teams confidence continues to build.
It’s huge,” Lightning forward Martin St. Louis said of winning the final game before the all-star break. “You want to finish what you start. I don’t think we’d like to have the break right now in terms of how we are rolling in games, but if you are going to get a break, you want to finish on a winning note and keep the streak alive and try to come back where we left off.”
The Good: Welcome to the NHL: Lightning forward Mike Angelidis scored his first NHL goal on just his second shift of the game to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Angelidis stole the puck at center ice, skated down the wing, and beat Columbus goaltender Curtis Sanford with a nifty backhand. Angelidis became only the 5th player in Lightning history to score in his first game. The other four were Ryan Craig, Jimmie Olvestad, Paul Mara, and Alex Selivanov.
“It felt unbelieveable,” Angelidis said of scoring his first goal. “During the celebration, I thought I was going to faint. It’s a dream come true.”
Lecavalier and St. Louis Shine: Lightning forwards Marty St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier both had a goal and an assist in the second period, with both of their assists coming on the others goals. The St. Louis goal was especially pretty, with Lecavalier lobbing a pass from the far boards and connecting with St. Louis in front of the net for the easy tap in.
YoYo Berg: Evan Oberg finally saw his first NHL action with the Tampa Bay Lightning after being recalled seven times. Oberg only played a total of 1:33 as the Lightning’s seventh defenseman.The good news to come out of that, if everything goes on schedule, is that he should be ready to go for training came next season.
More Injury Woes: More bad news on the injury front, as the team announced forward Dana Tyrell is expected to miss six months with reconstructive knee surgery. Tyrell injured himself on January 15th against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Up Next: The Lightning get the rest of the week off as Steven Stamkos heads to Ottawa to represent the team in the NHL All-Star game. The team will next hit the ice next Tuesday when the Washington Capitals come to town.
Tags: Tampa Bay Lightning
