Credit: Twitter (@TBLightning)

Let’s just face it: We’ve all been on edge this week, and on Saturday night, Tampa Bay Lightning fans let some game-related frustrations out during a second period power play when Steven Stamkos passed on a clear shot before attempting a pass that crashed haplessly into the boards. Fans wanted a stunner, groaned but were eventually rewarded after the Bolts took it to a shootout and won their home opener 2-1 at Amalie Arena.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all but one of the 15 first period shots he faced after watching his teammates give away pucks and fail to capitalize on a few solid chances in front of the net. After spending the first 20 minutes of the game on its heels (and getting outshot 4-15), the Lightning spent the second frame looking better, closing the shot margin (the Panthers were outshot 14-8), but still behind 0-1 after failing to convert on two power plays.

Thankfully Anthony (don’t call him Tony) Cirelli scored a shorthanded goal in the third period to even the score, which drew an “I believe that we will win” chant out of the crowd for the first time all night. There’d be no heroics for the remainder of the third, or the 3-on-3 overtime period, but that chant’s words would ring true thanks to a shootout that saw J.T. Miller somehow bounce a shot over the shoulder of Panthers second string goalie James Reimer who entered the game after starter Roberto Luongo left in the second period after his sustaining a lower-body injury.

A few more bright spots came thanks to skates of Bolts rookie Mathieu Joseph who delivered a big hit and put in good work during a penalty kill that saw him draw a slashing penalty on the Panthers’ Keith Yandle in the process. The 21-year-old Quebec native learned that he made the Bolts’ opening day roster on September 29.

Another silver lining in all of the frustration from the game (and from life in general this week) happened thanks to a home opener that saw the Lightning embracing the ladies by welcoming longtime anthem singer Sonya Bryson back to kick off the game and by sending various womens Bay area junior hockey players to the ice to showcase skill while in-game host Greg Wolf and Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan provided commentary.

The Lightning’s next game happens on Thursday, October 11 when the Vancouver Canucks visit Amalie Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.

This article appears in Oct 4-11, 2018.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...