Throughout the preseason, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher has been talking about the details needed to win.
Sometimes good teams forget the many little things that made them special the year before, the players get too proud of themselves and impatient.
After the Lightning reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, it would be easy for the same group to want to fast forward to the playoffs again. But there is a lot of work to do before then in a wide-open conference filled with teams that have changed and will change. No matter how much talent is on the roster, the Lightning must embrace the journey.
“We have to go in with a mindset that it’s square one,” Bolts center Nate Thompson said. “We have to raise the bar, expectations. Teams aren’t going to take us lightly, but we have to do the same things that made us successful last year. Our goal is to make the playoffs and then go from there.”
Gone are forwards Simon Gagne and Sean Bergenheim, who both did their best work in the playoffs a season ago. Steady Mike Lundin and Randy Jones have departed from the defense along with Matt Smaby. Mathieu Garon has replaced Mike Smith as the backup goalie.
Ryan Shannon fills in for Bergenheim in some ways. Shannon is not as physical as Bergenheim, but might be a little more crafty offensively and has a bit more speed.
Brett Connolly was the lone surprise out of training camp, winning a spot for now. The 19-year old’s quick release could provide some much-needed supplemental offense.
“[Connolly] has accomplished more in a shorter span than was expected,” Boucher said. “We were expecting him to be like this next year. That’s encouraging for him and the team.”
Connolly isn’t guaranteed to stay. He will have to show he can make an impact the first nine games before the Bolts have to make a decision on whether to use the first year of his entry-level contract.
Boucher likes the depth he has up front. Defenseman Mattias Ohlund’s injury allowed him to keep 14 forwards and avoid the possibility of losing a player through waivers. He wants to get them all in the lineup early on.
Blair Jones and Connolly are expected to play in the opener, with Tom Pyatt and Mattias Ritola scratched.
“I have some tough decisions,” Boucher said. “But the season has a way of sorting these things out.”
Perhaps no one should make a big deal about line combinations for Boucher, who changes it up constantly so players don’t get too comfortable – among other reasons.
Steve Downie starts out with Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis, who is two short of 300 career goals. Stamkos and St. Louis combined for 190 points a season ago. Stamkos has 119 goals in his first three seasons and a new five-year contract. Downie struggled through injuries most of 2010-11, but has looked healthy and focused in the preseason.
Boucher tried Vinny Lecavalier with Teddy Purcell and Ryan Malone last season and didn’t stick with it. The trio has seemed to blend a bit better this preseason. Malone needs one point for 300 in his career and his eighth game will be his 500th. Lecavalier has a chance to play his 1,000th career game this season and is seven points short of 800. Purcell hopes to top his career bests of 17 goals and 51 points.
Connolly starts with Dominic Moore and Shannon most likely, although expect Connolly to get some shifts with Stamkos and St. Louis. Moore had a career-high 18 goals last season and Shannon had a career-best 11 goals with Ottawa.
Thompson joins Hall and Jones on the other line to start. You can’t call it a fourth line, because you may see Hall and Thompson get lots of minutes.
Pyatt and Ritola will get their shots, perhaps as early as Saturday against Boston. Ritola is a wild card who could add scoring. Dana Tyrell is always there in Norfolk if needed and Carter Ashton could get a chance later.
The defense will have to be sharp early on, with speedy Carolina to start and Boston and Washington to follow in a five-game road trip to begin the season.
Ohlund won’t be there, so Victor Hedman will slide up with Eric Brewer on the top unit for the most part. Hedman made strides last season and was unflappable in the playoffs. He may be ready to be an all star. Brewer was the steadying two-way defenseman the Bolts needed last season and he will be depended upon heavily.
Brett Clark, who plays his 600th career game in the opener, is slated to start with newcomer Matt Gilroy. Gilroy is one of those players that could make a big impact on the season, with his speed and puck-moving ability. The hope is that he can be close to Lundin’s ability positionally on defense, but add more going forward.
Pavel Kubina returns after his concussion during the playoffs and will be a key. Kubina had some excellent stretches last season, but will be expected to be more consistent. Marc-Andre Bergeron will play with Kubina quite a bit to start and get some power-play time with his cannon of a shot. Bruno Gervais is a steady defenseman that can fill in at any time.
The Bolts were able to deal with adversity last season, especially with injuries to top players. That gives them confidence.
“Other guys had to step up,” Thompson said. “That’s what it’s all about. No one’s going to feel sorry for you, because every team goes through it.”
Dwayne Roloson turns 42 next week. He plays like he’s 22 some nights. Roloson will want to play more games, but Garon will probably get 30 or so if both stay healthy. Garon’s performance will be very important.
Roloson looked strong in the preseason and there’s no reason he can’t put up solid numbers again, Roloson only lost 12 of 34 games with the Bolts in the regular season and had a .924 save percentage in the playoffs. Garon and Roloson combined for 41 wins with Edmonton in 2007-08.
The Lightning was able to rebound from tough times all of last season, capped by an eight-game win streak after falling down three games to one in the first round of the playoffs. Can they be as good at that this season?
There’s no doubt, the Bolts come into the season as the hunted and not the hunter.
“The mentality heading into this year has to be different,” Stamkos said. “But at the end of the day we’ve got to realize we don’t want to change the things that made us successful. We just need to do the things we did last year and improve, take it one step further. It’s not going to be easy, but I think the guys that were here last year realize that and the guys that were brought in fit that mold.”
Mark Pukalo
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