Tampa Bay Lightning: Slater Koekkoek scores first career goals against Penguins

Slater Koekkoek scored the first two goals of his career as the Tampa Bay Lightning unloaded on Penguins backup Antti Niemi.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 tonight. Both teams entered the night following wins over the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay pulled off a dramatic OT win on Monday night, while the Penguins edged out a close win last night.

This was the second back-to-back of the year for the Penguins, and the second start for Antti Niemi in goal. Nemo and the Penguins were shelled last week against the Chicago Blackhawks. The star of the night was Lightning defenseman Slater Koekkoek.

The scoring

Koekkek’s first goal came as the Penguins Tom Kuhnhackl tried to block his shot from the point. Instead, it careened off of his stick and past Niemi to put the Lightning up early.

The Tampa Bay Lightning never really looked back, although the Penguins remained close on the scoreboard. A Jake Guentzel goal briefly leveled the game at 1-1, but the Bolts found more offense from their blue line – and more at the expense of Kuhnackl.

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A timely power-play goal from Victor Hedman gave the Lightning the lead heading into the first intermission. Hedman first takes a booming slap shot from the point that is blocked by Kuhnhackl. The rebound lands right back on his stick and he fires off again. Between Vladimir Namestnikov’s screen and Hedman’s power, Niemi never stood a chance.

The puck crossed the goal line with just one-tenth of a second on the clock. It was so close, the buzzer blew before the puck hit the back of the net.

While they entered the third period down 5-3, the Penguins had ten fewer shot attempts through two periods. A late rally, including Matt Hunwick’s first goal with Pittsburgh, made the game appear closer than it was.

Penguins problems

Pittsburgh’s anemic power play went just one for five on the night. The Tampa Bay Lightning put constant pressure on, and Pittsburgh looked like they were gripping their sticks a little tight.

It’s easy to blame Niemi for the Penguins issues. The 34-year old is clearly past his prime, and a stopgap while the Penguins groom Tristan Jarry for the big show.

However, Niemi was regularly hung out to dry. An aging goalie going post to post is a problem. The Penguins defense can avoid that problem by stopping passes across the zone and keeping odd man rushes to a minimum.

What do you think readers? Am I too harsh on the Penguins? Was their comeback more compelling than I’m giving them credit for? Does Niemi have anything left?

Next: 3 Burning Questions For The Lightning

Let us know in the comments.