Tampa: Jason Garrison usually plays in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s star performers, but on Thursday the defenceman made NHL history with an overtime goal.
Garrison not only gave his team a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers with his overtime tally in the Lightning’s season opener, but it also marked the first goal in the new three-on-three extra session format.
“It’s hectic, it’s fun, you got a taste of it. Kind of up and down, chance after chance,” said Garrison, who also scored in regulation, giving him two goals on the night.
The 30-year-old Canadian scored just four goals in 70 games last season.
The Lightning raised the banner for their Eastern Conference championship, then watched as goalie Ben Bishop escaped two penalty shots, including one in overtime just before Garrison’s game-winner.
“That’s another new one for me — a bunch of firsts tonight,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I don’t think I can remember a game where we stopped two penalty shots, one in overtime. We don’t even get to talk about Garrison unless Bish comes through the way he did.”
The new three-on-three overtime format drew mixed reviews. Cooper called it “lunacy” for its sheer chaos, and Bishop called it a “gong show,” saying he prefers the shootout as a fairer way to determine a winner in a tied game after regulation time.
