Last night’s 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals felt like when you see an irregular-shaped spot that you hadn’t noticed before on your skin. It is probably nothing, but get it checked out, just in case. For the first time since the Lightning clinched, they looked like they were in this-game-means-nothing mode. They seemed bored, torpid, and as a result, they got smoked by Washington. That said, the problems that arose last night felt like they could have significance even if the Lightning were playing with more than 20-percent battery. As in a visit to a dermatologist, they are worth examining. You know, just in case.
Transition defense and own-zone defensive coverage The first goal was the most prominent example of lethargy from the Lightning. Tom Wilson was able to feed Nicklas Backstrom on the three-on-two partly because the turnover happened when Steven Stamkos and J.T. Miller were behind the goal line and declined the opportunity to provide back pressure. Ondrej Palat was the F3 on the play, and his effort to get back in transition defense ceased when he caught up to John Carlson, who was in on the rush as the trailer.
The funny part is that the turnover didn’t happen above the circles, giving the Capitals a large head start in transition. Instead, it was a choppy pass from Stamkos to Palat just below the left circle that Palat couldn’t corral. If the Tampa Bay forwards forgo their transition defense that low in the offensive zone, there is a zero percent chance they will win the Stanley Cup.
In a similar vein, on the first T.J. Oshie goal, the Lightning overloaded on Carl Hagelin in the corner after he carried the puck into Tampa Bay’s defensive zone. Victor Hedman trapped him, and Alex Killorn tried to swat the puck behind Hedman to Mikhail Sergachev. But after that failed, Hagelin managed to maintain control of the puck while Hedman and Killorn tried to dislodge it from his possession. The result was that Hagelin would successfully pass the puck to Matt Niskanen at the point. Twenty seconds later, a shot by Niskanen would produce a rebound, and Oshie would roll off Killorn to jam in the rebound. Obviously, if the opponent gets pinned in a corner, the Lightning need to strip him of the puck, and the failure to do so has consequences. If the Lightning are not going to block the shot from Niskanen, they better box out. On this play, they did neither.
I would also toss in the Lightning breakout as a cause for concern. Even though Hedman cranked a shot off the post, it was nearly ten minutes before the Lightning recorded a shot in the first period. There were a lot of missed passes from defenseman to forward, or sloppy defenseman retrievals, or poor defensive support by the Lightning forwards on their zone exits. Pucks were jumping over blades, passes were misfiring, and the Capitals were consistently faster to the puck on retrievals. Consequently, in the first period and a half, when the Capitals were building their four-goal lead, the Lightning spent far too much time hemmed in their own zone.
The Capitals’ defensemen One of the indelible memories from last year’s conference finals was the Lightning forwards’ inability to halt the playmaking of the Capitals’ defensemen. The most dynamic Washington defenseman was Dmitry Orlov, as his puck-handling on the rush and from the point on the cycle caused fits for the Bolts forwards. Last night, on what would become the eventual game-winning goal, Orlov easily shed Brayden Point with a majestic crossover, and his ability to create separation from just inside the blue line allowed him to carry the puck to the area below the dots and slip a pass into the crease for Backstrom to tap home.
(This is also why I refuse to give up on Sergachev despite his miscues. He possesses that same crossover move that Orlov executed.)
It would be one thing if it were only Orlov. But earlier in the game, Nick Jensen was able to beat Yanni Gourde at the point. There were also chances off the cycle where a Caps defenseman was left uncovered. Not all of the Lightning blunders resulted in goals against—thank you, Andre Vasilevskiy—but it was alarming how many Washington skaters were able to create chances, and in how many different situations.
Stupid penalties It was karma when Oshie deflected the shot at the tail end of the power play to stretch the lead to 3-0. The Lightning had just committed another careless penalty, this time by Yanni Gourde, and most egregiously, it was in the offensive zone. As good as the Lightning penalty kill has been this season, come playoff time, they need to be more conscious of how they swing their sticks and where their blades finish. Especially because an opponent like the Capitals might leave their first unit on for the full two minutes. This Gourde mistake occurring on the forecheck only made the reckless play more aggravating.
Last night was game 78 and only Tampa Bay’s 15th regulation loss of the season. There are four games left, and last night felt like the official beginning of the end of the regular season. The games don’t matter going forward—the team just needs to stay healthy and keep some semblance of rhythm. They have failed in the staying healthy capacity a few times since clinching the Presidents’ Trophy—first Palat, now Hedman. One would hope that Coach Jon Cooper will now rein in the stars’ playing time in a more dramatic way. Whether last night augured trouble ahead in a rematch against the Capitals, or was the effort of a team fatigued by the slog of the regular season, will be answered for us in due time.