Lightning Erase Early Deficit, Double Up Golden Knights

A give-and-take opening two periods was followed by a back-and-forth final frame as the Tampa Bay Lightning got back in the win column with a 6-3 triumph over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

Vegas outshot Tampa Bay 15-3 in the first period to claim a 2-0 lead, but the Lightning tied the game in the second period behind a pair of points from rookie Dominic James, who co-led all players with a three-point night.

Gage Goncalves made it 2-1 in the opening minute of period two, and James’ first NHL goal came on a rebound to tie the game shortly after. Tampa Bay outshot Vegas 15-4 in the middle frame.

Nikita Kucherov scored 2:48 into the final frame to make it 3-2 Tampa Bay before the Golden Knights tied the game again, but a pair of Brandon Hagel goals and Kucherov’s second score of the night secured a win for the visitors.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 29 saves to help Tampa Bay improve to 7-5-2 on the year.

The Lightning continue play on Saturday with a visit from the Washington Capitals.

Scoring summary
First period
VGK 1, TBL 0
7:25 Ivan Babashev (5) -Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner
The home team was the first team on the scoreboard on Thursday with a rebound goal.

VGK 2, TBL 0
15:53 Barbashev (6) -Marner, Jack Eichel
Ivan Barbashev’s second goal of the period came on a chance in the slot and doubled the home team’s lead.

Shots on goal: VGK 15, TBL 3

Second period
VGK 2, TBL 1
00:36 Gage Goncalves (1) - Dominic James
The Lightning had a much better start to the second period, as Gage Goncalves’ first goal of the season put the Lightning on the board with a top-shelf shot from the slot.

VGK 2, TBL 2
3:28 James (1) - Oliver Bjorkstrand, JJ Moser
The first NHL goal for rookie Dominic James tied things up for Tampa Bay. James buried a loose puck following an Oliver Bjorkstrand shot next to the Vegas net.

Shots on goal: TBL 15, VGK 4

Third period
TBL 3, VGK 2
2:48 Nikita Kucherov (6) - Bjorkstrand, Jake Guentzel
Just as a Lightning power play was ending, Nikita Kucherov sent his one-timer shot past Carl Lindbom at the right goalpost for Tampa Bay’s first lead of the night.

TBL 3, VGK 3
3:37 Marner (4) - Eichel, Barbashev
Vegas tied the game less than a minute after the Lightning had taken the lead, their goal coming on an unfortunate bounce off a Lightning defender’s stick.

TBL 4, VGK 3
4:12 Brandon Hagel (5) - James
James’ third point of the night set up Brandon Hagel to restore the visitors’ lead. Hagel won a puck battle in front of the Vegas net, beating the defenseman to the puck and slipping a centering pass into the net.

TBL 5, VGK 3
14:13 Kucherov (7) - Victor Hedman, Hagel - PP
Kucherov’s second goal of the night came on the power play for a late cushion.

TBL 6, VGK 3

Total shots: VGK 32, TBL 27

Dan Campbell Refuses to Blame Anyone for Jayden Daniels’ Injury Ahead of Lions-Commanders Matchup

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t believe there’s much blame to go around for the gruesome injury that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered last week.

Daniels was playing late in a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks when he landed awkwardly while being tackled and hyperextended his elbow. The injury will keep Daniels out for several weeks, starting with this week’s game against the Lions.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Campbell said he doesn’t believe that Commanders head coach Dan Quinn needs to shoulder the blame.

Dan Campbell Speaks Out

Quinn took responsibility for the injury to Daniels, saying the team’s star quarterback should have been out of the game when he was hurt late in the fourth quarter. While Campbell agreed it was an unfortunate injury, he didn’t believe that anyone was to blame.

“I know hindsight, all this and that, but yeah, I do feel for him,” Campbell said, via The Associated Press. “But I don’t feel like he should have to feel that way.”

With Daniels landing on injured reserve, the Commanders are starting veteran Marcus Mariota against the Lions this weekend. Though the Commanders have struggled while dropping to 3-6 this season, Mariota said he believes in his team and knows they can bounce back.

“And it starts up top with DQ [Head Coach Dan Quinn],” Mariota said, via the team’s official website. “He sets the mood every day, guys follow that and I do believe that. And again, it’s not going to all happen at once.”

The Commanders are entering a difficult stretch that includes games against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles, but it starts with the Lions on Sunday. Mariota said the team can only focus on the game ahead of them, saying they need to do some course correcting against the Lions.

“We understand that being out here, taking it one day at a time, getting things corrected, getting things organized, making sure everyone’s on the same page so that when we do get to Sunday, guys are feeling confident and ready to go,” he said.

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Lions Looking to Bounce Back

The Lions are coming off a loss to the Vikings and are looking to avoid their first two-game losing streak since the 2022 season. Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he’s confident in his team’s ability to bounce back, as they did after a season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions responded with four straight wins, then recovered from a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs by beating the NFC-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It’s all kind of who we are and what we’re built for,” Goff said. “Now again, this is another team that’s coming off a loss and they probably pride themselves in being built that way as well, so we’ve got our hands full.”

The Lions had a chance to jump back to the top of the NFC North last week, but remain a half-game behind the Packers after their loss to the Vikings.

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