The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t shoot. The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t score. The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t win. Kept afloat by another superbly sound outing from goaltender Anders Lindback, the Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the New York Islanders by a score of 2-0 on Thursday night. More than half way through the season, it’s pretty clear that this team has issues.

After a dismal effort that saw them generate 13 shots against the Florida Panthers in their previous outing, the Lightning “peppered” Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov with a whopping 18 shots on Thursday. While some of Nabokov’s saves were mighty impressive, the Lightning can’t expect to win games when they are producing sub-20 shot totals. It’s mind-boggling to consider that a team that boasts the likes of Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone, Sami Salo, and Victor Hedman is struggling to get the puck on net. To state it simply – the Lightning are passing up too many great opportunities, and are looking to make the pretty play rather than the smart one.

Following a scoreless first period that saw Anders Lindback make 13 key stops, John Tavares of the Islanders opened the scoring midway through the second period while his team was on the man advantage. Matt Moulson and Brad Boyes found Tavares at the side of the net, and he was able to pot home the loose puck. Lindback had zero chance on the play, and was hardly the problem last night.

As the time ticked away on the Lightning’s chances for victory, they failed to generate much. There were a few decent chances, but they were few and far between. Something as simple as shooting the puck should be second nature to this group; unfortunately, it seems like a foreign concept. Tavares’s goal stood the test of time, and it wasn’t until Brad Boyes potted his seventh of the season into the empty net that the Islanders managed to grab their insurance marker.

All in all, it was an incredibly uneventful game. With Vincent Lecavalier out for a reported three weeks, Benoit Pouliot out for another few days, and the team on its last legs this year, don’t expect much to change. It’s a shame that the group couldn’t muster up even a single goal for Anders Lindback, but c’est la vie.

If you're looking for positives to take from the game other than the play of Lindback, look no further than the performance of Radko Gudas. In just his second NHL game, the defender already looks like a seasoned veteran. He is poised with the puck, he is nearly always in position, and he makes the smart play 99% of the time. This is a player with a bright future in Tampa.

The Lightning are next in action against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Saturday night. This game has already been designated a must win by a few followers of the team, but realistically this thing is over and done with. There’s a lot to look forward to in Tampa, but it just didn’t come together this year. With last night’s result, the Lightning are now seven points out of eighth place and eight out of third. That’s more than a hurdle; that’s a full-scale mountain.

Here’s hoping the Bolts prove me wrong. As always, thanks for reading.

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