Tyler Johnson is listed at 5-foot-9, and that would be generous if he were wearing his skates at the time. When he plays the Detroit Red Wings in April, he might as well be Godzilla.
Friday, Johnson had two goals and two assists in Tampa Bay’s 5-2 Game 2 victory, giving him five points in the first two games of their first-round series.
Is that a fluke? Probably not, since he had six goals and an assist in the Lightning’s seven-game elimination of Detroit a year ago.
After having two assists in Tampa Bay’s 3-2 win in Game 1, he helped set up Nikita Kucherov’s third goal of the series in the first period of Game 2. That goal came with a 5-on-3 advantage that came when Johnson drew a penalty against Justin Abdelkader.
Tampa Bay could have easily taken a three- or four-goal lead into the third period, but Jimmy Howard made some big saves and the Lightning hit pipe at least four times. Instead, it was just 2-1, and the Red Wings tied it early in the third on Brad Richards’ power-play goal.
That’s when Johnson took over once again.
Two minutes later, he blocked a clearing pass and got the puck to Alex Killorn. With Jonathan Ericsson helplessly chasing the puck, Killorn drew Jimmy Howard out of his crease, then rounded the net with speed.
As Ericsson and Howard bumped into each other like drifting ice floes, completely out of the play, Johnson slid uncontested to the front of the net and tapped in Killorn’s pass for a 3-2 Tampa Bay lead.
“We gave Killorn open ice so that it was just him and me,” Howard said. “He made a great, patient play.”
With 5:12 to play, the Red Wings forwards went for a line change with the puck loose in their end, allowing Kucherov to take the puck behind the goal. Detroit’s new line charged into their zone, forming a triangle with Riley Sheahan leading the way. Johnson was in the middle of the triangle, but was left alone to blast home Kucherov’s pass to make it 4-2.
With Games 3 and 4 back at Joe Louis Arena, Jeff Blashill will have the last change. In theory, that should help him stop Killorn, Kucherov and Johnson, but with who? Pavel Datsyuk remains his best defensive forward, but Detroit can’t sacrifice one of their few offensive threats on a checking line. Joakim Andersson has played in the first two games with the intent of adding some defensive presence, but he doesn’t have the speed to face The New Triplets.
“We’ve got to figure that out in a hurry,” Blashill said. “We’ve got to make more good defensive plays and we’ve got to stop making so many mistakes. They can’t be allowed to keep scoring at this rate.”
Without a checking line, Blashill’s best option might be to go for offense. He could face Tampa’s top line with Datsyuk, Darren Helm and Dylan Larkin. Helm and Larkin are two of the fastest skaters in the series–Andreas Athanasiou would be the only other contender–and with Datsyuk’s intelligence, the Lightning trio would have to pay more attention to defense.
The Red Wings could also be shorthanded going back to Detroit. Luke Glendening injured his ankle late in the game, and Abdelkader could be in trouble with the league office after a tough night. His tripping penalty in the first period looked more like a slewfoot against Johnson, and he was at the center of a line brawl in the final minute of the game.
With all 10 skaters involved, Abdelkader ended up on top of Mike Blunden, who was face down on the ice. He landed several right hands, busting open Blunden’s face for nine stitches and drawing the wrath of the Lightning. Cedric Paquette, who was in the middle of the scrum, told the team’s website that he expected retaliation in Game 3.
“That’s not smart from their guy,” he said. “When there’s a guy lying on the ice like that, you have to respect your opponent.”
Of course, as Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper pointed out, it could have been much worse. “Just imagine if that had been in the 1970s,” he said. “To me, it was pretty mild. Just two teams that want to win a hockey game.
“All I’m worried about is that our compete level stays that high.”
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