Heading into the All-Star Break, things looked good for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They had won three straight games (all by a score of 6-3), were 8-1 in their last nine, and were steadily climbing in the Atlantic Division standings. Then, they had to take a week and a half off, which is the last thing a team on a heater wants. Sure enough, they came out of the gate with back-to-back losses. The team has gone 3-4 since returning to action, and it has been a mixed bag of good and bad from those performances. Here’s a look at what has gone right and what could use some work for the Lightning.
Lightning’s Slow Start
Jon Cooper has done a phenomenal job during his tenure as head coach of the Lightning. There are plenty of good traits that can be seen in every iteration of the roster that he has coached, and he is undoubtedly a huge reason why the franchise has reached such great heights in recent years. However, his teams have often struggled after taking time off, and this season is no different.
The Lightning looked sluggish during their brief trip to the Empire State to take on the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Both games looked and felt as if they were over before the puck dropped to start the third period. When the Lightning took on the Rangers, they were at least able to keep the score to 0-0 after one period of play, but that is about the only good thing that can be said.
In the second period, they only had four shots while giving up two goals. It was worse against the Islanders, as the Lightning were outshot 14-3 after one period. Oh, and they were down 3-1. The shots in the second period were 7-7, but the scoring was a repeat of the first period, and the Lightning entered the third down 6-2. In both games, they looked better in the third period, but it did not matter because it was too late.
Slow starts after breaks and slow starts within the games are not a recipe for success. A team that hopes to be a contender cannot take 40 minutes to find their groove within a game, and they certainly cannot take several games to figure things out after some time off.
Lightning’s Scoring Depth Still a Problem
There are plenty of reasons for the Lightning’s woes. The defense, after a brief resurgence, looks shaky again. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, while having moments of brilliance, has still not found his form. The biggest culprit, though, is the lack of scoring depth.
The second line has seemingly picked up the pace a little, while the first line has lost some steam and is no longer going at the speed of light, but the third and fourth lines have been abysmal. There is no other way to put it. Since returning from the All-Star Break, the Lightning’s bottom two lines have accounted for two points over seven games. Mitchell Chaffee scored a goal, and Michael Eyssimont recorded an assist, but other than that, nobody recorded a point in a game where they primarily played on the third or fourth line.
Some of the higher-paid players have been underperforming, too, but the third and fourth lines are the biggest issues. The scoring depth has become so thin that even with the cap constraints, it is baffling that it fell to this level. These are professional athletes, though, and all of these players have shown some level of scoring capability in the past. While trades are possible, the Lightning need to get more out of these forwards because they do not have much trade capital.
Players like Austin Watson, Tyler Motte, and Alex Barre-Boulet could stand to chip in more, but it is Conor Sheary who has been the biggest disappointment. The veteran forward has played with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin and did not look out of place. He has it in him to be an important part of the team, but one goal and eight assists in nearly 40 games are not going to cut it. The Lightning need Sheary, in particular, to start producing if they want better results.
Lightning Still Able to Beat Top Teams
Even with the head-scratching and frustrating moments that have ensued, the Lightning once again proved that there is some gas left in the tank. Earning wins over the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche is no small feat. They have been the class of the NHL for the past few seasons, and both are serious contenders to win the Stanley Cup. Aside from some small hiccups, the Lightning not only held their own but looked like the better team in those matchups. Against Boston on Feb. 13, they got out to a 2-0 lead and looked dominant early.
They faltered for a moment and let the Bruins tie it up, but from there, they gritted their teeth and got the job done. Vasilevskiy had a stellar performance, stopping 36 of 38 shots. He was the backbone of the team in that win, with neither side being able to score in the third period or overtime and the game coming down to a shootout.
In the showdown against the Avalanche on Feb. 15, it was a more back-and-forth affair. The Lightning were down 1-0 in the first period, but late goals from Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point put them up 2-1 heading into the intermission. The second period saw a lone goal scored by the Avalanche, and they also struck first in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Steven Stamkos and Kucherov powered the Lightning back into the lead with a couple of goals, and two shots into an empty set sealed the deal with a 6-3 win.
The two games were very different from each other, and both of them said a lot about the Lightning. They can still beat tough opponents, and they can win in different ways. If the Lightning need to grind a team down to get a win, they can go that route, and if they have to go blow for blow with their opponent, they can do that too. They are not the team that they once were, but they still have enough talent and ability to be a contender.
Lightning’s Trouble Finding Consistency
The trick is finding a way to come out with that kind of intensity every night. Before the All-Star Break, it looked like the Lightning had finally flipped that switch and figured out how to play their kind of hockey, night in and night out. Just as fast as that revelation came, it went away. The team followed up those masterclass performances against the Bruins and Avalanche with two of the most forgettable games manageable against the Florida Panthers on Feb. 17 and the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 19.
When the Lightning were taking on the Panthers, Brandon Hagel scored an incredible goal just seconds into the game. It looked like they had all of the energy in the world and that they were well on their way to beating another titan. That feeling did not last long. Well before the Panthers scored their first goal, it was apparent that they came to play, and the Lightning did not. That Lightning goal was just a blip on the radar. The Panthers proceeded to humiliate the Lightning in a way that almost nobody ever does, besting them 9-2 in their own building.
The Senators game was not as eventful but just as embarrassing. The Lightning looked lifeless and got the expected result with that kind of effort. They lost 4-2, and now all the ground they worked so hard to make up is slipping away. It is hard to say what needs to change to get the Lightning to play at their best more often. Do they need to call up a few players from the Syracuse Crunch? Is a new game plan needed? Is the team properly motivated? Could it be that they are simply tired or stretched too thin? General manager Julien BriseBois and Cooper have their work cut out for them. There is more mileage in this team, but getting it out of them will be no small task.
Hagel is Stepping Up
One player that has impressed during this rollercoaster ride is Hagel, who has actually outpaced Kucherov this month and is the Lightning’s leading scorer in February. In seven games, he has four goals and six assists. He is getting the big minutes that were expected of him, and he has really started to come into his own. Last season was good for him, but this season, he is starting to look like the player that the Lightning need him to be, and it does make you wonder just what his potential is. A season ago, he had a very respectable 64 points.
This season, he is performing even better, and if he keeps it up, he will reach 76 points. At 25 years old, he still has plenty of runway left, and a 100-point season does not look impossible for the Lightning forward. With players like Stamkos and Hedman getting older, Hagel is going to be one of the building blocks for the future, regardless of what direction they choose to go in. In the immediate future, he is just as important. Kucherov, Point, and Stamkos are necessary for the team to make the playoffs, but if they want to have any postseason success, then they are going to need more. A lot is riding on Hagel’s ability to keep firing on all cylinders. If he can, he will help the Lightning’s chances of making a run.
What’s Next for the Lightning?
The Lightning are back in action on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. They have four straight matchups against Metropolitan Division opponents before getting back into Atlantic Division action. These matchups should prove to be a test for the Lightning, as well as indicate where they are at right now. The teams that they play – the Capitals, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers – are all sandwiched in the middle of the Metro.
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They all still have playoff aspirations, something to prove, and they all have talented rosters. If the Lightning go 4-0 or 3-1 in this stretch, it will show that they can still beat competitive teams – which they should be able to do if they are a playoff-caliber team and strong enough to make a playoff run. If they go 2-2 or worse, then making the playoffs becomes more of an uphill battle, and more questions will arise about an already confusing team. The trade deadline is just around the corner, and the Lightning need to make a serious push now.