Anthony Cirelli scored the decisive goal midway through the third period after missing a penalty shot earlier, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Cirelli’s game-winner came at 11:55 in the third period, just one minute after Jack Hughes had tied the game for the Devils. Brayden Point assisted on Cirelli’s goal.
Alex Killorn and Mathieu Joseph also scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves. Tampa Bay improved to 11-1-1 in its last 13 home games.
“They did what they had to do to win the game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought we played well enough to win this game.”
While Jesper Bratt contributed two assists, Damon Severson led the Devils with a goal and an assist.
“They’re the best in the league until someone knocks them off,” Hughes said. They know how to win. We’ll get to that point one day. That’s a better hockey team than us, but we played a really good game. It’s disappointing we didn’t get two points.”
Tampa Bay played without right wing Nikita Kucherov, who is in COVID-19 protocols. Cooper couldn’t say whether Kucherov will return before next week’s All-Star break.
New Jersey’s Jon Gillies, acquired from St. Louis last month, stopped 32 shots in his seventh game this season and 19th of his career. The Devils, who have lost six of their last seven games, are missing injured goalies Mackenzie Blackwood (left heel) and Jonathan Bernier (season-ending right hip surgery). Blackwood was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Joseph put the Lightning ahead 2-1 with a short-handed rebound goal with 5:44 left in the second period, just 26 seconds after Gillies saved Cirelli’s penalty shot. Tampa Bay outshot the Devils 6-2, and Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta served a 4-minute high-sticking penalty.
“Whenever you can kill off a 4-minute power play, and Jo gets one there too, it’s huge and gives momentum going in the right way,” Cirelli said.
Killorn had tied the game 1-1 with a power-play rebound goal early in the second period.
Severson opened the scoring from the blue line 4:33 into the game, giving the Devils a power-play goal in six consecutive games. Tampa Bay’s streak of not allowing a power-play goal in seven straight home games ended.
New Jersey nearly took a 2-0 lead midway through the first period when Yegor Sharangovich’s shot was deflected off Vasilevskiy’s glove and swept away from the goal line by Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Gillies stopped all 18 shots he faced in the first period, while New Jersey had 12 shots in the period.
Vasilevskiy turned aside Hughes’s right-circle shot in the third period’s first minute.
“I thought our puck movement was excellent,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. We had speed going up the ice and skated really well. There was a lot to like inside the game.”
NUMBERS
Lightning star Steven Stamkos had his lone shot on goal late in the third period. New Jersey’s Nico Hischier, who missed part of Tuesday’s game after getting hurt, had no shots. Vasilevskiy, with a 214-90-22 overall record, is just 3-4-0 against the Devils. Bratt has five assists and 10 points in his last seven games. Point has 13 assists and 20 points in 13 games against New Jersey.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Devils: Defenseman Dougie Hamilton (jaw surgery on Jan. 5) is practicing in a no-contact jersey. Center Michael McLeod (upper body) is on injured reserve. Defenseman Ty Smith (upper body) returned after missing three games.
Lightning: Defensemen Erik Cernak (lower body) and Zach Bogosian (lower body) are not expected back before the All-Star break.
UP NEXT
- Devils: At Carolina on Saturday night.
- Lightning: Host Vegas on Saturday night.
