Lightning 3, Flames 1
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning, who led the NHL in scoring and home wins last season, took a big step backward in both departments this season until Thursday.
Late goals by centers Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson helped Tampa Bay earn a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning (8-8-2) ended a three-game home losing streak and helped goalie Ben Bishop end a five-game losing streak. He allowed two goals or fewer in each of the five losses.
Bishop made 30 saves to stop the Flames (5-11-1), who came in allowing the most goals in the league.
Stamkos' power-play goal broke a 1-1 tie with 7:09 left in the third -- just 28 seconds into a man advantage after Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano was called for tripping in front of the Flames goal. It was just the second power play of the game for the Lightning, and the first since the opening four minutes of the game.
Center Alex Killorn, whose pass wide to Stamkos set up the shot, picked up his fourth assist, and center Tyler Johnson got his seventh on the play.
Johnson's goal put the game away with 1:33 left, on a give-and-go with right winger Nikita Kucherov, who earned his fifth assist.
Tampa Bay right winger Ryan Callahan scored what looked to be an empty-net goal with nine seconds left, but he was ruled offside.
The Lightning, who scored just 12 goals in the previous nine games, hoped to get their scoring back on track against a Flames team that was allowing an NHL-high 3.9 goals per game. That didn't play out early, as the teams played to a scoreless tie in the first period, with Flames goalie Karri Ramo stopping all 11 shots he faced and Bishop making eight saves.
Tampa Bay thought it had the lead with 18:47 left in the second, when Callahan's crossing pass ricocheted off the skate of Stamkos and into the net. After a review, however, it was determined that Stamkos kicked the puck in the net, so there was no goal.
Less than a minute later, however, the Lightning got a goal that would stick. Center Brian Boyle, who hadn't scored in a month, got his third goal of the season, beating Ramo off an assist by defenseman Braydon Coburn, his fifth of the season.
Within five minutes, the Flames tied the game at 1-1 on a power-play goal. Center Sam Bennett deftly redirected a shot from center Mikael Backlund just past Bishop for the equalizer. The goal was Bennett's fourth of the season, with Backlund earning his fifth assist.
Ramo finished with 26 saves.
NOTES: The Lightning played a second game without LW Ondrej Palat, out three to five weeks with a lower-body injury. D Nikita Nesterov was the only healthy scratch, with F Mike Blunden re-assigned to the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday. ... Calgary played without three healthy scratches in LW Mason Raymond, LW Brandon Bollig and D Deryk Engelland. ... Thursday marked the Lightning's first game of the season against a Pacific Division opponent, having gone 10-4-0 against the Pacific last season. ... Calgary stays on the road with games at the Washington Capitals on Friday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday before returning home. ... The Lightning close a three-game homestand Saturday against the Florida Panthers, with three more at home after they play Tuesday at Florida.