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Bolts Collapse Against Canes |
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The Lightning were given a tutorial in spacing and peer-to-peer puck movement last night. The stats from their 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes are eye-popping, but in a humiliating way from Tampa Bay’s perspective. At 5v5, the Hurricanes dominated shot attempts, boasting 70 to the Lightning’s 26. Carolina nearly tripled them in Scoring Chances.
The second period—where the Lightning failed to record a shot—unfolded like a slow-motion nightmare. Nikita Kucherov passed on a two-on-one. The Lightning were afforded a two-minute power play and could not muster a shot on goal. Skating lanes disappeared and turned into odd-man rushes. Passing lanes vanished and were exploited by a quick Canes’ counterattack.
The third period did not offer relief. The Lightning had been held shot-less for over 20 minutes, and then Alex Killorn gamely dumped the puck in, created a turnover against Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce, and steered the puck to Alex Cirelli in the middle slot. But though on a team starved for opportunities, Cirelli chose not to shoot on the Canes’ goaltender, who had allowed 3 goals on 11 shots, instead attempting a pass to Yanni Gourde on the backdoor where Pesce’s falling body managed to disrupt the conversion. It was that kind of night.
The Hurricanes are a well-coached team whose five players consistently move the puck into spaces to create two-on-one’s and three-on-two’s all over the ice. Everything is in concert. They are not just fast. They also support the player with the puck or in pursuit of the puck. Conversely, they were able to force the Lightning into one-on-one’s or worse, areas of the ice where the number of Canes’ bodies outnumbered the Bolts’.
The Lightning’s goal was to spread the ice. At first, they were doing this with the stretch pass. But gradually, they moved to indirect, area passes. And that is really when things cratered for Tampa Bay. Once the Bolts started chipping the puck and hoping their forwards would win the race or the puck battle, Carolina, who was the faster team all night, was able to regain control of the puck and quickly reset it and put it back into the Lightning’s own zone. (The one notable instance of an area pass working was when Erik Cernak found Mathieu Joseph in the neutral zone and Joseph rang it off the far post. After that, Carolina adjusted.)
Carolina has an outstanding defensive corps and all their forwards are adept at supporting their defensemen when they step up and confront puck-carriers. For next time, the prescription for Tampa Bay should be shortening the length of their passes and clustering more. The Lightning need to counter the Hurricanes’ suffocating pressure with better puck support. If the Hurricanes have three forecheckers, the Lightning need four skaters in support. Sometimes the Lightning skaters outnumbered the Carolina forecheckers, but even then it was a struggle. So there is an execution element as well. The slower Tampa Bay defensemen struggled to make their reads and the forwards were inert.
Support has to be a point of emphasis for Coach Jon Cooper going forward. The Hurricanes are hardly the only team with a relentless forecheck. There needs to be improved communication. Also, of course, the Lightning need to be faster in races and more tenacious in puck battles. They got crushed in both aspects last night. It was much more than a schematic failure.
It sounds like a broken record, but in the offensive zone, the Lightning need to shoot more. Carolina concedes very little and is so proficient in taking away space and passing lanes that, when a shooting lane appears, the Bolts need to pull the trigger.
The best sequence of the night for the Lightning in terms of shooting frequently and retrieving was the one that led to the Joel Edmundson penalty on Steven Stamkos. (Kevin Shattenkirk’s power-play goal occurred seconds into the ensuing power play.) On the initial rush, Ondrej Palat received the pass from Kucherov after the entry, and after he stopped and button-hooked, he spun around and flung a shot on net. And off the blocked shot attempt, Kucherov, who had retreated to the point because of Victor Hedman’s pinch, crashed in on the weak side and nearly smashed the shot near post. The Kucherov chance was the Lightning’s best opportunity of the sequence, and it happened because Palat hurled the puck on net and there was support to possibly convert.
The Lightning are about to go on a road trip to Canada. They will be facing teams that concede more space in the neutral zone. The rush will reappear. Brayden Point is also likely to return. But the problems mentioned here need to be rectified. The breakout needs to be better. The forecheck needs to be sharper. And transition defense needs to be more present. Otherwise, the Lightning will again fall short in the postseason.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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