Nick Perbix scored a nifty backhanded goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning opened a four-game homestand with a 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
While being hounded by two Los Angeles skaters, Brandon Hagel dished the puck to Perbix, who went to the backhand and sent home the game-winning goal at 2:03 — his first marker this season.
Hagel and Tyler Motte scored third-period goals to erase a two-goal deficit as the Lightning moved to 12-1-0 in their past 13 meetings with Los Angeles.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves in his fourth straight start.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper recorded his 500th career victory and defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg had an assist for his first NHL point.
The Kings’ Phillip Danault broke an 11-game goal drought and Matt Roy scored. Trevor Moore recorded two assists in his 300th NHL game.
Newly minted All-Star goaltender Cam Talbot made 26 saves, but the Kings lost their sixth straight (0-3-3).
Other than the Lightning’s Conor Sheary committing a hooking penalty against defenseman Mikey Anderson, resulting in the first period’s only power play that produced a lone shot, the opening frame was fairly uneventful as Tampa Bay held an 11-6 shot advantage.
During a series of quick passes in the second, Kings defenseman Jordan Spence skated below the goal line and swung a pass to Danault in the low slot.
Without a goal since Dec. 10 in New York against the Rangers, Danault sent a puck through traffic for his eighth marker at 11:31.
Following a span of 2:59, Kevin Fiala whistled a pass from the half-boards that Roy snared and rang off the crossbar and in, his second tally, for a 2-0 lead.
With Talbot on his back and the puck beneath him, Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli worked his stick under the goalie’s pads and lifted in what appeared to be his ninth goal at 15:55.
However, Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan challenged for goalie interference, and the marker was overturned to maintain the two-goal lead.
The Lightning scored twice in a span of 3:02 in the third when Motte netted his third goal of the season after a hard rush by Michael Eyssimont.
Hagel, who went all of December without a goal, soon followed with his 12th marker for the tie.
–Field Level Media
