The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to end their post-Olympic slide tonight, as they are set to take on the Phoenix Coyotes at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Having lost five of six games since the break and a lot of ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Bolts are in desperate need of a win.
This is the second of two meetings between the Lightning and Coyotes this season. Phoenix won the first matchup in Arizona by a score of 6-3. The Lightning will need to be better tonight than they were on that night in November. That game took place only five days after Steven Stamkos broke his leg in Boston; the team should be in a much better place mentally on this occasion.
Despite the fact that Tampa is reeling right now, there is at least some reason for optimism. The efforts put forth in the team’s last two losses have been excellent. Coaches often talk about “the process… needing to be good for teams to win. If it’s any consolation, the Lightning’s process in the last handful of days has been good. The wins will undoubtedly come.
It’s interesting to compare the situation in Tampa to the one in Phoenix when it comes to hockey this year. Like the Lightning, the Coyotes started this season with a stretch of very good play. Like the Lightning, the Coyotes were once comfortably situated in a playoff spot. Now, however, the Coyotes find themselves three points outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Just as it is for the Bolts, tonight’s game is a huge one for Phoenix.
News out this morning indicates that Ben Bishop will get the start in net tonight; it’s not hard to figure out why. Simply put, this Lightning team needs wins right now. Bishop gives Tampa a better chance to win than the alternative. He had a weak outing against Boston on Saturday, and will most certainly want the opportunity to rebound today.
In addition, Erik Erlendsson reports that the Lightning won’t make any lineup changes for this game. That means that Radko Gudas remains out with an injury, while BJ Crombeen, Ryan Malone, and Nikita Kucherov sit as scratches.
On the Phoenix side of things, Brandon Gormley is slated to make his NHL debut. Gormley was selected 13th overall back in 2010, and is regarded as a top tier defensive prospect. He will be the second Coyotes defenseman to make an NHL debut against the Lightning this year, after Connor Murphy did it last time the two teams met. Tampa fans will remember that it was Murphy who scored the game winning goal.
This is a big game for the Lightning. With the Toronto Maple Leafs heading out West for a tough road trip, the Lightning have a chance to make up some ground in the Atlantic Division over the next week. It all starts tonight with a victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
As always, thanks for reading.