That was not a very good game for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After defeating the Dallas Stars by a score of 4-2 last night, the Bolts went to Colorado looking to win a second straight game. A disjointed effort combined with some sloppy defensive play ultimately put that dream to bed, as Tampa fell 6-3 in the Mile High City. The loss moves the team’s record to 34-22-5, and really puts them in a dogfight for positioning in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
I’m not sure that I can sum up the evening’s events any better or more succinctly than the good people over at Bolt Prospects, so I won’t even try.
Another blown road lead for a loss. This team is not a lock for the playoffs. Time to stop playing like it is.
— Bolt Prospects (@BoltProspects) March 3, 2014Getting off to good starts has turned into a bit of a post-Olympic trend for the Lightning. While they weren’t able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead as they did in Dallas and Nashville, the Bolts did open the scoring late in the first. Fed nicely by Teddy Purcell, Tom Pyatt took the puck and wired it past Semyon Varlamov to give the Lightning the 1-0 lead.
That lead didn’t hold up through the opening stanza, however, as the Avalanche managed to pot two late goals to swing the tides back in their favor. Tyson Barrie took advantage of some horrendous Lightning coverage at the 17:19 mark, before Ryan O’Reilly converted on a bad Lightning giveaway and sloppy defensive play at the 19:01 point.
The overarching theme of that first period was that Tampa gave the Avalanche forwards too much time and space to make plays. Just like the Lightning, Colorado is a fast team. The Avalanche were able to use their speed to their advantage all night long, and it paid off.
Despite being outplayed for segments of the second period, the Lightning actually scored the frame’s only two goals. Nate Thompson scored his seventh of the season about seven minutes into the period and then added his eighth about 11 minutes later. The Alaskan Assassin, as he is affectionately known, received help from Lightning newcomer Mike Kostka on both plays.
All looked good for the Lightning as they went into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead, but then disaster struck. Four third period goals for the Avalanche, including a power play marker and two empty net tallies, turned a tight lead into a disappointing loss for the Bolts. Ben Bishop wasn’t at his best, and neither were the skaters in front of him. All in all, it was a third period to forget. Good teams hold third period leads, but the Lightning didn’t on Sunday night.
This game versus the Avalanche isn't anything to write home about from Tampa's perspective. Simply put, the Lightning weren’t very good. Their defensive coverage wasn’t great. The offensive attack wasn’t very consistent. The goaltending was pretty weak in comparison to the standard Bishop has set this year. All in all, it wasn’t a banner night. If there is one big positive I’ll take away from this one as an observer, it’s that the Russian line of Nikita Kucherov, Vlad Namesnikov, and JT Brownov (wink) was positively fantastic. The trio created chances all night long and legitimately looked like a line that could contribute at the NHL level down the stretch as games get tighter.
Things don’t get any easier for the Lightning in the immediate future, as the team will now head to St. Louis where it will meet the Blues on Tuesday night. It’s worth noting that said game will be Tampa’s last before the trade deadline on March 5th. Could it be the last time we see a certain player in a Lightning jersey? We'll just have to wait and see.
One final note: I don't have any word on the condition of Radko Gudas, who left midway through the game with a lower body injury. When news comes out, I'll post it in the comments section.
As always, thanks for reading.
REMINDER: To all fantasy league players, please note that the trade deadline is March 6th.