The Schenn Bowl started out as a lighthearted affair. Brayden versus older brother Luke! Father Schenn was in attendance! But the family shindig got dark when Brayden blindsided Nikita Kucherov, injuring the Lightning’s best scorer. The Lightning dropped the game 3-1, and a somber reality permeated.
At this juncture, the Lightning can’t hang with a team like St. Louis – despite the Blues missing their best scorer, Vladimir Tarasenko – because the Lightning’s top-six forwards cannot create consistent separation. Kucherov played nearly two periods before Brayden Schenn rocked him, but his line with Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson was muffled on offense and fruitless on defense.
Kucherov has had a few monster games this season and is averaging a point a game, but he was not a destructive force last night. While Point is clearly snakebit, opponents have also gotten better at blocking his skating lanes and denying his speed in the neutral zone. Too often this has led to turnovers and dangerous opposing counterattacks.
The Point line conceded five Scoring Chances while producing one. They were unable to generate offense on the forecheck and only manufactured limited chances on the rush. There wasn’t much room when the Blues were in their defensive posture, and that led to a lot of giveaways as the forwards tried to force passes when the lanes were sealed.
The Lightning’s best scoring chances in the game came when they were able to force turnovers and strike while the Blues’ defense was scrambled. But the forwards on the Point line are below average at creating turnovers and supporting the puck, and against a team as structured and disciplined as the Blues, that lack of firepower from Kucherov and Point is a tremendous problem. Fortunately, a solution is on the roster.
Entering the season, I thought Killorn was a player the Lightning might want to shed in order to clear cap space for next summer. Now, as we head toward Thanksgiving, Killorn seems indispensable to the Lightning’s success. Killorn is a lodestar for destabilizing the opposing defense on the forecheck. The puck gravitates toward him as he reads the play so well that he is always in the right position to retrieve the puck and force a turnover or aid his teammate.
The Anthony Cirelli goal was a perfect example of Killorn’s underrated ability to support the puck. After a turnover by Jordan Binnington allowed the Lightning to establish the cycle, Killorn retreated toward the point because Victor Hedman was going to rove in the slot. Seconds later, Killorn was happy to provide cover when Hedman slid down the boards to try to create off the wing. As the Lightning interchanged, Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo quickly closed on Hedman in the corner, and once it became clear that Hedman was going to lose the puck, Killorn, who was positioned in the high slot, sprinted toward the corner faster than any Blues player around him to retrieve it.
Killorn knew what he wanted to do before he touched the puck. Before snatching possession, he quickly peeked around him, and when he recognized Cirelli in one-on-one coverage against Vince Dunn in front, he snapped a pass to Cirelli that would provide the Bolts’ only goal.
Killorn and Cirelli combined for some of the best opportunities of the game at 5v5, as twice Cirelli forced turnovers and fed Killorn, once for a one-timer and another for a chance in the low slot. (They also nearly teamed up for an amazing shorthanded goal.) While they are a dangerous duo, Killorn’s ability to control possession would be invaluable to the Point line. Tyler Johnson can still be an effective player, but he is redundant with Point and Kucherov. Or, if Jon Cooper slotted Killorn on the Steven Stamkos line, that would also be useful. Last night, the captain’s line with Ondrej Palat and Mathieu Joseph surrendered eight more shot attempts than they generated. The top-six needs an infusion of Killorn’s savvy.
The Blues’ defensive posture restricts creativity and suppresses speed, demanding a simplified game, the kind at which Tampa Bay’s fourth line excels. Last night, the Cedric Paquette line finished with two High-Danger Scoring Chances while allowing none, and they directed more shot attempts on net than they allowed. When the Lightning’s best two lines are their putative bottom-six forward lines, it indicates something is broken with the lines that have their stars. If Cooper is determined to keep Cirelli as the third-line center, at least put Killorn as the left wing with Kucherov and Point, so they can spend less time defending in their own zone.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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