Vasilevskiy’s dominance is the backbone of their surge, proving the Lightning are more than just offensive firepower
The Tampa Bay Lightning throttled the Calgary Flames to pick up another win, 5-1. They extend their current winning streak to five, while the Flames see their three-game winning streak snapped.
Despite the early offensive onslaught, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy would steal the show, stopping 32 of 33 shots on goal. Eighteen of those saves came in the period when the Flames outshot the Lightning 19-4.
Early Scoring and a Brick Wall Win It for Lightning
It took little time for the Lightning to get on the board. Brandon Hagel opened the scoring 39 seconds into the game, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous followed that up less than 30 seconds later. Goals from Zemgus Girgensons and Declan Carlile built the Lightning’s lead to 4-0 before the end of the first period.
The Lightning briefly appeared to have a goal in the second period from Nick Paul to extend the lead further. However, it was immediately waved off due to goalie interference.
In the end, the score would remain 4-0 until the third period. The Flames got on the board when Joel Farabee sniped one past Vasilevskiy. The Lightning ultimately got that fifth goal of the game when Nikita Kucherov found the back of the net to reach the final score.
Both of the Flames’ goalies saw action in the game. Dustin Wolf was run out of the game after five minutes, allowing three goals on four shots. Devin Cooley came in and played a relatively clean game, saving 17 of 19.
Pontus Holmberg returned to action for the Lightning in the win, his first appearance since Nov. 8. He picked up an assist on Girgensons’ goal.
The Lightning hit the road for a three-game road trip, starting with the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Puck drop is set for noon EST. The Flames will continue their road trip, heading further south to take on the Florida Panthers in Sunrise. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. MST.
Declan Carlile's first goal of the season capped a four-goal first-period eruption as the host Tampa Bay Lightning routed the Calgary Flames 5-1 on Wednesday.
Brandon Hagel, Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Zemgus Girgensons all found the net before Carlile found the target. Carlile was playing in his fifth game of the campaign, and he has two career goals in nine games.
Hagel and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist while Jake Guentzel produced two helpers as the Lightning crafted their second five-game winning streak in a month.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots to lift his club to a 13-3-0 mark in the past 16 games.
Joel Farabee scored short-handed for Calgary, which had its season-best three-game winning streak end. Goalie Dustin Wolf surrendered three markers on four shots and was pulled for Devin Cooley, who made 17 saves on 19 shots.
Hagel scored for the eighth time in nine games inside the game's first minute. Just 47 seconds later, D'Astous lifted a long shot that beat Wolf high for a 2-0 lead. Girgensons' goal at 5:52 -- his 200th NHL point -- beat Wolf for a third time, sending the Flames' No. 1 goalie to the bench.
Carlile scored when his shot from the left circle trickled through Cooley's pads for a 4-0 lead at the opening frame's midpoint.
The second period was filled with power-play chances, but the Flames failed to produce after Kucherov committed a double-minor high-sticking infraction. The Lightning could not score on their four man-advantage opportunities in the period.
Tampa Bay's Nick Paul had a potential goal overturned for goaltender interference after he clipped and took down Cooley with his skates.
On the home side's man advantage to open the third, Farabee netted career goal No. 99 at 1:04, spoiling Vasilevskiy's shutout bid.
Kucherov created the final 5-1 margin at 14:23 on an assist from Hagel.
Lightning center Brayden Point (undisclosed) missed his second consecutive contest.
Caleb Williams Has Notable Comments on Jalen Hurts Ahead of Eagles–Bears Game
Jalen Hurts and Caleb Williams have yet to play against each other in the NFL, but that’s about to change.
Both quarterbacks were stars at the University of Oklahoma in college, although their tenures never overlapped. Hurts authored a legendary 2019 season in Norman, netting 3,851 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 1,298 rushing yards and 20 rushing scores, finishing second in the Heisman voting that year.
Williams followed two years later and delivered one of the most electrifying freshman seasons in Sooners history, throwing for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns in just 11 games while adding six rushing scores.
Ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Week 13 showdown against the Chicago Bears, Williams shared the advice and wisdom Hurts once passed down to him when their paths crossed previously.
Caleb Williams Talks ‘Wisdom’ Gleaned From Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
GettyCaleb Williams said Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has passed down some nuggets of wisdom to him in the past.
“We’ve run into each other a few times,” Williams said about Hurts on November 26. “It’s quarterbacks being quarterbacks, saying what’s up, and checking on each other. Then, from there, he’s given me some wisdom, back when I was being recruited by Oklahoma, and he was leaving. Other than that, it’s been a little bit since we’ve kind of ran into each other.”
What wisdom did Hurts dispel?
“There are not many like us in our position, and who we are – skin tone and all of these different things – there are not many like us, so just being able to understand the opportunity that we have, and I have, to maximize that and put myself in the best opportunity possible,” Williams noted. “It was kind of that type of talk. Jalen, you’ve heard all of his bits. He’s pretty motivational when he speaks.”
A Closer Look at the Numbers for Each QB This Season
Williams enters Week 13 with 2,568 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, with a QBR of 55.3. The Bears remain one of the NFC’s most intriguing teams, and by all accounts appear to be trending upward.
Hurts enters the matchup with 2,284 yards, 17 touchdowns and just one interception, maintaining a 58.8 QBR. While Philadelphia’s offense has stumbled at times, Hurts has still had stretches of elite play (his Week 7 masterpiece against the Vikings, when he posted a perfect passer rating on 326 yards and three scores, comes to mind).
But inconsistency from Philly’s offensive line, injuries, and a passing game that has drifted in and out of sync have kept Philadelphia from fully resembling its championship form.
A win over an upstart Bears team would be a nice statement to make at a critical time.
A Brief Look at the Bears vs. Eagles Black Friday Matchup
The 8-3 Eagles host the 8-3 Bears on Black Friday, with huge playoff implications on the line.
Chicago is playing confident, physical football behind Williams, but the Eagles will be the best team they’ve seen yet.
Philadelphia is scoring 23.2 points and allowing 20.5 per game, leaning on their top-10 scoring defense. Chicago, by contrast, has been living on the edge, scoring 26.3 points per game while allowing 26.5.
Williams leads the NFL with five fourth-quarter comebacks, so Chicago isn’t a team to count out if it’s at all close late in the game. The Bears could also get top corners Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon back, which would give the entire defense a huge boost.
Philly has been excellent in the red zone, which is an area Williams and the Bears have struggled in all year. Whichever team plays best there will likely come out on top, but this should be the game of the week by a long shot.
