The acquisition of J.T. Miller from the New York Rangers forced Lightning coach Jon Cooper to make a decision about where to fit him in the lineup. The first attempt has been to team him with Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde, two of the Lightning’s speediest and hardest-working forwards. The line has been very productive, and last night they accounted for three of the four regulation goals. Even with the malaise that seems to have struck the Lightning’s defense, appreciation must be recognized for the output of Miller, Point, and Gourde.
Last night, each goal sequence started by a Lightning forward chasing after the puck. On the first goal, it was Point forcing a turnover by Mark Pysyk. After the puck was thrust toward the point, it touched the stick of both Tampa Bay defensemen before it was lobbed toward the net. Gourde, always the opportunist, stationed himself along the goal line, snatched the puck off the missed shot’s carom, and deposited it in the net. Nice F1 pressure was applied by Point. There was good support by Miller to dip in as the F2 and guide the puck toward Point, and sagacious positioning by Gourde to move toward the inside and anticipate the indirect pass.
Poor Mark Pysyk. Miller’s goal started with him as well. Pysyk carried the puck toward his own goal line as the Panthers looked to reset. Pysyk back passed, assuming his defensive partner, Mike Matheson, was trailing him, but Gourde wedged himself into that separation. Stealing the pass, Gourde chucked it to Miller, who picked the pass off his skate, transferred it to his backhand, and roofed it glove- side.
The braininess of Gourde on that play is worth celebrating. The way he short-circuited the defensive exchange was by going through the crease. If he had gone under the goal, Pysyk would have had an open skating lane to carry the puck, but by going above the net he sealed that off. Gourde’s skating trajectory bamboozled Pysyk into thinking that the passing lane was available to Matheson by Gourde crossing through the crease, but once Pysyk made the indirect pass, Gourde broke off his route, pilfered possession, and tossed it to Miller. It was a great finish by Miller, but the anticipation by Gourde, and the support provided by the all three players, is what is making this line lethal.
The third goal was sparked by Miller trampling over Matheson as he retrieved the puck off a Sergachev shot attempt, and as Miller squashed Matheson against the glass, Gourde grabbed possession, and, with a stylish flourish, curled off the goal line and acrobatically whipped a shot top-shelf over Luongo’s glove. Great snipe by Gourde, but even the initial shot by Sergachev was precipitated by Point’s pressure on the dump-in as the F1, as well as Gourde and Miller’s work in support to steer the puck toward Sergachev.
Point and Gourde are both highly capable attackers off the rush, and they did get their chances in this game, but it is interesting that so much of this line’s influence has been derived from the forecheck. As the sample size grows, maybe that changes, but in the short term, it bespeaks good instincts and unyielding effort along the walls and in the corners. Also, one of the most underrated skills in hockey is the ability to make plays without any separation, and this line excels at that.
In the same vein, sequences start from the outside, with the puck on the perimeter before it is propelled inward through shooting, passing, and unflagging puck support. With the woes afflicting the Lightning in their own zone, anything that establishes territorial advantage and keeps the puck away from their own net seems like an ideal antidote.