Playing with the lead helps. The Lightning have scored first in their last five games, and in four out of five they have carried a lead into the third period. Inevitably, the Lightning will get practice playing from behind—it is a long season. But it is a boon to their record, and bodes well for their postseason, that they are having so much experience playing with, and defending, a lead. The Lightning have not always been successful protecting the lead; their two losses this season resulted when they surrendered leads in the third period. But last night, they squeaked out a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights despite only one good period and losing Victor Hedman to injury.
One of the subtle, but important, storylines this season is that the Lightning’s even-strength scoring has been below average. Last season, they were gangbusters at even-strength, boasting a 3.07 GF/60. The margin between Tampa Bay and Toronto was significant at .27. This season, that number has dropped to 2.48, which slots them 19th in the NHL. Tampa Bay is only tied for ninth in goals per game because their special teams have been a source of offense. The Lightning need to improve their even-strength scoring, and there are a few ways to do that.
One creative way is interspersing a super line, as coach Jon Cooper did last night. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos had a few shifts together, and their tidal wave of skill registered results. Kucherov’s entry on the rush allowed him to cross and drop the puck to Stamkos who slipped behind him for the reception. It was a brilliant touch by Stamkos, who exploded with the puck from the top of the circle to the right faceoff dot and dished a beautiful pass onto a cutting Point’s blade.
The goal left one feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside because it accentuated each player’s talent in ways worth underlining. Kucherov is the logistics man in the play. He deftly transports the puck into the zone, yanks the defense toward him, and puts Stamkos in a position to succeed. With Stamkos’s debilitated puck-handling, the convenience of having the puck delivered to him in the offensive zone allows him to act as a playmaker without any of the conveyance duties. (Stamkos has demonstrated he is a gifted passer on the power play and on the cycle, but it is a strain for him to lug the puck from A to B and set up a cutting teammate.)
Which brings us to Point, who excels in congested areas. Point’s change of speed and acceleration are reminiscent of Patrick Kane and Nathan MacKinnon, so it is tempting to gush over his proficiency in transition. But anyone with even a passing knowledge of hockey can attest that the way Point beat Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to the paint is extremely impressive. Bellemare is a good skater in his own right, yet Point won inside position despite Bellemare being in his hip pocket.
Another way to generate offense when the scoring at 5v5 is stagnant is to shoot to create more shots. And that is exactly how the Lightning scored their first goal. Ryan McDonagh lobbed a shot from the point. Brayden McNabb attempted to clear the puck out, and it landed on Tyler Johnson’s stick and he buried it. Currently, the Lightning are 9th in 5v5 CF/60. It is so amusing to me that they fall in love with these east-west passes and try to force the puck through seams when they are so fast on retrievals and have a bevy of high-end finishers around the net. If any team should be shooting from sharp angles and utilizing its distinct net-front advantage, it should be the Lightning. Not to mention, opponents that get hemmed in their own zone inevitably will have their defensive coverage languish, so after extensive zone time seam passes will open up due to fatigue.
If the Lightning are shooting from everywhere, would that have inhibited Stamkos from making that pass to Point for the second goal? I don’t think it would, and the reason is contextual. There should be room to make the extra pass, but hockey is not egalitarian, and that freedom is baked into being a star. If Yanni Gourde is coming up on the wing, or Tyler Johnson, you want those guys hammering a shot on net, not trying to thread a pass through two opposing skaters to the opposite wing or U-turning into incoming traffic. With the speed on the third line, those guys should be firing shots from anywhere and everywhere. This mantra of shooting more also grafts better onto an opponent like Vegas than it does against Chicago. In the latter contest there was time and space, so creative autonomy had room to flourish. But good teams will squeeze the Lightning when they have possession and limit their scoring chances.
The Lightning's shot attempts per 60 minutes are similar to last year's. Part of the reason for their even-strength scoring dip is because their shooting percentage is 19th and not first. Sure, one way to mitigate that inevitable regression is to involve the defensemen more by ratcheting up their aggression, and the Lightning can also deploy their super line.
But the key is getting more rubber on the net. The Lightning have the speed to retrieve and cycle endlessly, and they have the finishers around the net. The puck can be a metaphor for life. Where it starts is rarely where it ends up.