TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning on Tuesday failed to protect a one-goal, late third-period lead, allowing another short-handed goal in the final minutes of regulation.
But Alex Killorn scored with 1:17 left in the 3-on-3 overtime period, taking a pass from Steven Stamkos and using a toe-drag move to freeze a defender before burying the winner in a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars.
Stamkos picked up his 500th career assist on the goal.
Moments earlier, defenseman Victor Hedman laid out to break up a 3-on-1 breakaway in the other direction.
While on the power play, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev overskated the puck in his own end, gift-wrapping an opportunity in front for Stars forward Radek Faksa, who tied the game with 4:42 remaining in regulation.
With the game tied at 3 less than four minutes into the third period, Victor Hedman rocketed a shot on net from the left point, and the Lightning pounced on the rebound. Nick Paul pushed it forward, and defenseman Ian Cole — known as a stay-at-home defenseman — collected the puck made a move that had Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger lunging out of position before tucking it into the back of the net.
Stamkos snapped his 10-game goalless streak, sweeping a pass from Cole top shelf from the slot past Oettinger, tying the game at 3 with 5:37 left in the second.
Earlier in the period, the Stars scored two goals over a one-minute, 55-second stretch, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
The Lightning penalty kill, which was running at an 85% success rate over the past six games‚ including a perfect 12 for 12 over the previous two, allowed goals on Dallas’ first two power plays. The Stars entered the night ranked third in the league in power-play success rate.
Paul’s power-play goal 4:47 into the second period, his fourth goal in his last six games, put the Lightning ahead 2-1. Facing the end boards, Corey Perry banged the puck off the boards to Paul, who gained possession at the right hash and tapped the puck into the back of the net.
Hedman tried to clear a rebound in front of the Lightning net on a Dallas power play, but Stars wing Joe Pavelski reached out his stick and tapped the puck before Hedman could, redirecting it past Tampa Bay goaltender Brian Elliott 8:02 into the second period.
Jason Robertson then found the puck on his stick on a rush after Pavelski pushed it forward between three Lightning skaters. Robertson, who had an open look, beat Elliott to give Dallas a 3-2 lead.
