There were three primary reasons why the Lightning were able to win this game. First, Vladdy Namestnikov recorded his first NHL hat trick and one of those goals was the overtime winner. Second, after the Lightning fell behind, 4-3, late in the third period, they received a critical tying goal from Anton Stralman just 1:32 after Chris Kunitz had given the Penguins their first lead of the night. And third, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, despite allowing four goals in the game, was superb. He made numerous saves throughout the game on glorious Pittsburgh scoring chances.
The Lightning’s best stretch of the game came in the opening four minutes.