Alex Killorn had two goals and two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning erupted for five unanswered goals, including four in the third period, on Thursday night in a 7-4 win over the Calgary Flames.
Down 4-3 after two periods, Tampa Bay tied it 12 seconds into the third when Killorn pounced on a loose puck near the Flames face-off dot, spun, and sent a backhander on net that slipped past Mike Smith.
The rare off night for Smith continued when Cory Conacher scored on a sharp angle at 5:16 to give the Lightning the lead for good at 5-4.
Just over a minute later, Steven Stamkos buried his 19th of the season and that was it for Smith and his goal stick. As he got the hook from coach Glen Gulutzan for David Rittich, Smith smashed his stick across the goalpost.
Conacher’s second of the night at 8:26, on a shot from below the goal line, capped off the third-period barrage. Braydon Coburn and Matthew Peca also scored for Tampa Bay (35-13-3), which maintains its one-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights atop the overall standings.
Micheal Ferland, Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan and Matt Stajan scored for Calgary (25-18-8). On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Flames are winless in their last six (0-4-2).