The Tampa Bay Lightning has enough talent and role players to be a playoff team.
They are well coached and managed.
Hockey sense is in abundance in the room.
They can be tough, mentally and physically, and they care.
So why are the Bolts falling out of the race for the postseason, after a 6-1 start, with a precious 26 games left?
Coach Guy Boucher finally had a chance to voice it clearly -- although he has intimated it at different times over the last two seasons -- after the debacle of a losing play at Boston on Saturday.
“It’s coming down to the same thing that’s been going on for years and we’re trying to break, that offense-first mentality,” Boucher told reporters.
However you term the problem, it is impatience with the puck and with the game. It’s the inconsistency of thought about certain situations. It’s hoping instead of being sure.
Some might say that takes away aggressiveness or it limits a team that has as much creativity and skill as most, if not all, teams in the NHL. That would be incorrect.
The creativity that leads to most of the Lightning’s defensive zone turnovers is misplaced. The creativity at their offensive blueline is misplaced.
There are plenty of times they can use their skill and offensive ideas. They don’t need to reach into a scrum at the boards in the defensive zone and knock the puck through their legs, or without looking, into the middle of the ice in hopes of a teammate being there. They don’t need to get rid of a puck without any defender on them, when a couple more strides gets the puck out of danger. They don’t need to always skate a stride or two into the offensive zone and make a drop pass, a move that teams know they will make 75 percent of the time. Heck, I wish drop passes were banned behind the offensive circles.
Every team turns the puck over. In fact, the Lightning are 18th in the league in giveaways -- although 160 for the season seems very generous. The Bolts tend to turn it over in bad spots on the ice. What happens when you give the puck away without it being forced? It makes your defense work harder. It makes your forwards comes back and expend energy. It takes everyone out of position. It makes your goalies face tougher chances, more odd-man rushes, and hurts their confidence. It takes time in the offensive end away for the league’s top offense. It often eliminates long stretches of solid play with one goal against. The cumulative effect is devastating.
People can say, well, ‘We don’t want the Lightning to be boring.’ But making the right plays, the prudent plays, only gives you more time with the puck in the long run. Limiting the types of turnovers they are making on a consistent basis, winning more puck battles, only leaves more gas in the tank for your top six forwards.
People can say, well, ‘We don’t want the Lightning to be boring.’ But making the right plays, the prudent plays, only gives you more time with the puck in the long run. Limiting the types of turnovers they are making on a consistent basis, winning more puck battles, only leaves more gas in the tank for your top six forwards.
Look at the Buffalo Sabres game recently. The Lightning recorded an early goal and had several prime chances to score. Buffalo did very little, but scored after two turnovers to win 2-1. Yes, the Lightning missed opportunities. But if they did not force two passes that did not get out of the zone, the Bolts could have won 1-0.
The best thing about all of this? The mistakes are very correctable. In my opinion, it can be turned around without major personnel moves.
The best thing about all of this? The mistakes are very correctable. In my opinion, it can be turned around without major personnel moves.
No doubt, the Lightning could use better goaltending. But if they play solid more consistently, it won’t matter as much. Look at the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ray Emery weren’t that good last year, were they? Reports were that the Hawks might be interested in acquiring a netminder. Why are they suddenly winning every game? Because, simply, their team is playing way better in front of them.
The Lightning could be more physical. It would help. But they weren’t rough and tumble when they almost won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
We don’t know if Anders Lindback will be the answer in goal. It will take time. He certainly has been great at times. He has seven of the Lightning’s nine wins. He’s 24. Like Boucher said, he just has to go through the process. The ability seems to be there. Like the best goalies, he just needs to limit the mistakes.
The Lightning need to find a way to beat New Jersey tonight, then come home and get hot. They can certainly do that if they have the puck more often.
Cheap hits: For a while, it seemed like the lockout had made the players more gentlemanly on the ice. Well, except for Zac Rinaldo.
But suddenly there has been a rash of cheap shots from familiar suspects like Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta. Then there was the debacle between Boston and Montreal on Sunday. What was Claude Julien complaining about?
The league has to realize that track records shouldn’t matter for certain hits. Until it starts handing out 10, 15, or 20 game bans, it is going to continue. Shanny, please stop finding reasons to give these guys a break.
Realignment: I don’t think changing the divisions around makes sense unless you have 32 teams.
The problem with that is the most likely additions – Seattle, Quebec City, a second Toronto team, Hamilton, Kansas City Hartford (Ok, I know, just adding it for fun) -- makes it even more difficult if Phoenix has to move. If you do it by region, you end up with teams playing in divisions they shouldn’t. No doubt, the Florida Panthers better start doing better at the box office.
But one thing’s for sure. It’s time to put Winnipeg in a different division. Why the heck can’t they put the Jets in the Northwest, Colorado in the Pacific and Dallas in the Southeast? Is that so hard?
--Mark Pukalo
