On the evening of June 15th, I left the Amalie Arena Tampa Bay Lightning Watch party shattered after a heartbreaking loss in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final. Days later, it was revealed many of the players had played through the series with injuries. Although Stanley didn't return to Tampa for a well-deserved tan, no one will deny the Lightning played their hearts out and had a great run of the 2014-15 season.
Ninety-eight days later, I found myself back at Amalie Arena for the Lightning Season Opener, waiting excitedly for the Pre-Game Festivities to begin. I shed tears as I watched the video that recapped last season and as the 2014-15 Eastern Conference Championship Banner was raised. The crowd was electric with excitement when the first puck dropped, elated that Lightning hockey was finally back.
This game surely did not disappoint! The first period ended scoreless with Philadelphia having thirteen shots on goal compared to Tampa’s ten. Both teams had only one penalty each.
Tampa Bay was first on the scoreboard in the second period at 1:25 with a goal by Jason Garrison, assisted by Ryan Callahan and Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia answered back at 10:14 with Matt Read scoring a goal with the help of Scott Laughton and RJ Umberger. Philadelphia then took the lead at 12:03 with a goal by Brayden Schenn, assisted by RJ Umberger and Evgeny Medvedev. Minutes before the second period was over, Tampa Bay tied the game at 18:22 with a goal scored by Alternate Captain, Ryan Callahan, assisted by Victor Hedman and Jonathan Drouin.
Third period was a nail-biter with no score by either team. SOG were minimal as Philadelphia outnumbered Tampa 6-4. There was no time for either team to take a break as the first historic 3-on-3 Overtime started immediately as the game ended. On June 24th, the NHL Board of Governors voted into effect the new rule of a 3-on-3 Overtime lasting five minutes.
My heart raced as both teams came close to scoring the game determining goal in the first two minutes of overtime. At 2:17, Jason Garrison made NHL and Tampa Bay Lightning history scoring the first official 3-on-3 Overtime Goal. Credits for the assist went to Alex Killorn and Valteri Filppula to help secure the Season Opener win. Tampa Bay Lightning fans went home happy that night, ready for the beginning of a great season.
This is a sign of good things to come. This season will be our season! Let's Go Lightning!
This article was contributed by Anna Molina. Anna Molina writes the Foodie Friday column for 813area.com. Anna has over three hundred reviews for a well-known crowd-sourced review site. She is an avid Tampa sports fan, although the Tampa Bay Lightning hold the top spot in her heart. She is the Commissioner for several Fantasy Football Leagues, and is giving the Hockey Leagues a shot for the first time this year. A Tampa resident for over twenty years with a serious photography habit, you can usually find Anna at the latest brand new restaurant or fun outdoor festival.
