After a painful few months of waiting for all parties involved, the 2013 National Hockey League season is about to begin. The Tampa Bay Lightning will start with a tilt at the Tampa Bay Times Forum against their division foe, the always dangerous Washington Capitals.
Last season, the Lightning fared moderately well against the Capitals finishing with a record of 3-1-2. It should be noted, however, that all three of last season’s Lightning victories over the Caps took place at the Forum. That was last season – this is now.
Most pundits agree that there will be a three way race for the Southeast Division crown this season among the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. As a result, Saturday’s contest against the Caps is of vital importance. The Lightning needs to get off to a good start at home to avoid the perils of last season; it’s time to turn the page, put up wins against key opponents and contend for an elusive playoff spot in the East.
The Capitals boast one of the most potent offensive cores in the league. Names like Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Brooks Laich can always be counted on to provide a challenging test to opposing defenses. Add to that new head coach Adam Oates, who has vowed to deploy an in-your-face offensive style and the Capitals begin to look more and more like a mighty threat.
Lightning fans will remember Adam Oates as the man who ultimately transformed the Bolts’ power-play into a dangerous unit just a few short seasons ago. If he succeeds at bringing that same offensively minded coaching style to Washington, the Capitals will prove to be very dangerous all season long and into the future. With so much firepower on the Capitals’ roster, opposing teams need to be well aware of Oates’ systems, tendencies and strategies.
On the other side of things, the Lightning come into tonight’s tilt with a completely healthy line-up that is starving to prove that last season was an anomaly rather than the new norm. After last year’s unmitigated disaster, General Manager Steve Yzerman made it his mission to improve the Lightning’s stability. He signed Matt Carle and Sami Salo in addition to trading for goaltender Anders Lindback. Despite only having a few new faces on the team, the Lightning come into this season feeling revamped, rejuvenated and ready to challenge for the division title.
Now, specific to tonight’s game, here are a number of pre-game notes and storylines to follow.
* Cory Conacher, wearing #89, will be making his NHL debut tonight on a line with Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell. After making a name for himself in the AHL last season, look for Conacher to make an impact for the Lightning early on with his speedy play and soft hands. With JT Brown injured and Brett Connolly sticking with the Syracuse Crunch, Guy Boucher will be giving Conacher every chance to succeed and stick in the NHL.
* At this point, the Guy Boucher has not announced who his starting goaltender will be for tonight’s game. However, all indication point to the conclusion that Anders Lindback will be making his Tampa Bay Lightning debut on home ice this evening. Lindback, whose relatively short NHL resume scares some people, looked solid in camp and seemed to impress both fellow players and team coaches.
* Matt Carle’s return to the Tampa Bay Lightning will be tomorrow night and it looks as though he will be given a bounty of power-play time alongside fellow new addition Sami Salo. After last season’s special teams debacle, look for the Lightning to utilize these new additions on the point to take pressure off of Steven Stamkos. During training camp, Boucher spent a large amount of time figuring out potential power-play systems and set-ups that seem to employ the point-men far more than they did last season.
* The Capitals did not fare well at the Tampa Bay Times Forum last season despite relatively playing out relatively close contests in each of the three meetings. Without Bolts’ killer Alexander Semin on the roster, it will be interesting to gauge the Caps’ offensive success in a building that was none too friendly to them last season. Home-ice advantage may not always mean a lot, but in recent times it has meant a lot to these two teams. Advantage Lightning?
* Lastly, Bolts Nation deserves a huge pat on the back. Your support at Fan Fest, through training camp and now into opening day consummating with a sell-out for tonight’s game has been so overwhelming. If this new team has early success, hopefully the excitement continues long into the season. First, let’s hope the guys #CrushTheCaps.
Thanks to all for reading the first game preview of the season. Moving forward, this will be the general structure of my game previews (a short synopsis plus notes). I appreciate your readership through the lockout and warm welcome when I joined the team here in October. This is a great site to write for and the Lightning is the best team to write for. Your continued support means the world to me and I look forward to bringing you the best Lightning coverage possible as we move into the 2013 season.
***Tune in and listen to last night’s edition of Between the Benches Radio where Glen Miller, Mike Luciano and I discuss the Lightning and Rangers***
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