Lightning prove their mettle rallying from 2-0 deficit vs. Maple Leafs
TAMPA, Fla. -- They answered early fire near their net with heat of their own.
In a game billed as a matchup between the NHL's top-scoring teams Monday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning were face down on the ice after the two quick first-period goals from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Amalie Arena both charged and concerned, in a tizzy and troubled.
The atmosphere was a taste of late April in December, a playoff-like feel that featured dueling chants -- "Let's go Lightning!" and "Go Leafs, go!" -- and a curious paradox to rattle the mind. Despite the two-goal hole, Tampa Bay left the ice after the first period with a 15-4 shot edge and confidence in its direction. First, there was a meltdown that pleased the thousands of Northern transplants, then signs of a heartbeat that silenced those not wearing the Lightning's shade of blue.
Of course, there was the comeback, which was like a dam break after cracks in Toronto's lead became a bust. Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Filppula scored in the second period. Steven Stamkos did his damage in the third.
And those pesky Maple Leafs? Nothing more.
"You've got to like the growth, because it feels like we're coming back in games now a little bit," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after his team's 3-2 victory. "Because our record hasn't been great after we've been down in the first period. And for them to come back, maybe this is just more of a maturation process for our team."
Flipping fortune on the Maple Leafs had to feel good, considering that Toronto entered as the NHL's most-dangerous scoring threat with 120 goals. The Lightning were second with 118, and despite sloppy play to begin, digging throughout the next two periods to dump the visitors with a taste of Toronto's strength likely satisfied.
There's something to be said for Cooper's maturation theory. The Maple Leafs began the night almost a lock to win after scoring first, their 15-2 mark when gaining a 1-0 lead a daunting reality for the Lightning following Mike Santorelli's score just 4:28 into the first period.
Then Joffrey Lupul's goal about three minutes later made Tampa Bay's prospects even bleaker. Not only was Toronto the NHL's most-lethal presence with the puck, the Maple Leafs also were effective in snuffing opponent's hope after an early pounce.
But on this night, in this uncommon scene, the Lightning had different plans.
"It shows what this team is all about, coming back against a good team like Toronto, which has been on fire lately," Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said.
"They have a lot of good skill on their team. I think for us, it was just about keep plugging away, and that's what we did."
If the Maple Leafs began with two quick uppercuts to the jaw, the Lightning's response was more like a pair of cold cocks to the nose. Tampa Bay dominated the second period, the Callahan and Filppula goals the product of a sustained attack that gave the Lightning a 32-14 shot edge going into the third, and the feeling was that the home team wouldn't stay on two goals for long.
That turned out to be the case. Credit Tampa Bay for chipping away near goaltender James Reimer, who unlike his counterpart Ben Bishop, never had to hit the snooze button throughout Monday. There was plenty of action for the visiting netminder, the Lightning's attack buzzing, buzzing, buzzing like a group of angry flies circling a picnic table.
Finally, annoyance turned to decisive production. There was Stamkos with a redirect atop the crease 11:05 into the third period, his 20th goal of the season, the development the reason for Lightning clinching a perfect three-game homestand before a four-game road trip begins Wednesday at Buffalo.
Toronto's fire was met with Tampa Bay's own flame. By the end, the Maple Leafs turned cold, and Lightning still burned.
"We did a good job all night long kind of carrying the pace and dictating what was going on out there," said Bishop, who had 21 saves. "Tough start there, you never want to give up the first two. But we had a lot of game left. We weren't too worried, especially after that second period. There was a pretty good feeling in here that we were going to play well in the third."
That confidence is important to develop. Championship-caliber squads own it, and those that fall short of the standard wish they did. With Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov (15 goals) as the point of their spear, the Lightning should remain an elite scoring threat, but whether or not they form the ability to claw back against strong offensive foes will define them.
Monday, they met early force with a stronger, more sustained response. The more times it happens, the more effective they will be in their attempt to turn up the heat on the rest of the league.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
