Hockey players learn positioning at a young age. A skater’s sophistication for where to locate himself may vary based on a coach or system, but some underlying principles remain constant regardless of age and skill level. Protect the middle of the ice is a truism that applies in any rink around the world. The Ducks failed to heed this wisdom, and their inability to box out the Lightning in front of the net saw them outmaneuvered on every single goal in their 6-2 loss Saturday night.

The number that jumps out from last night is “three.” The Bolts notched three power-play goals, while also collecting more man-advantage chances than Anaheim. The Lightning’s power-play scoring blitz combined with their white-hot penalty kill to give Tampa Bay a decisive advantage on special teams.

I read an article a few years ago about how smartphones are destroying our innate sense of direction. Perhaps that explains the Ducks’ peculiar aimlessness. The Ducks’ inability to track their man in defensive coverage crippled them both on the penalty kill and at even strength.

The second goal by Brayden Point was the neatest score of the night for Tampa Bay. On the Lightning’s first power-play opportunity, they allowed a shorthanded goal, partly due to their failures on the entry. So, on the Lightning’s second attempt, they got creative. The deception came about with Nikita Kucherov trailing Victor Hedman for the delayed drop pass, but Kucherov was a red herring. While those two glided up the ice, Brayden Point raced down the wing. When Anaheim clustered toward the middle to defend the pass to Kucherov, Point had the outside lane and Hedman found Point in stride.



Also, Alex Killorn ran a pick at the blue line right as Anaheim identified the gambit, which helped Point by an extra half second.

But the Ducks’ rudderless play extended beyond a cool Tampa Bay set play. Their lack of countervailing resistance around their own net was befuddling. It was the worst demonstration of boxing out by any Lightning opponent this season. Anaheim was slow to react and consistently lost the position battle to the Bolts. It looked like a loop where the same events kept unfolding, producing a predictably disappointing outcome for the Ducks.

On Anthony Cirelli’s goal and the first tally by Point, the puck struck the Lightning forward, and he was quick to smack it into the net while meeting no resistance from the Ducks. On each sequence, the Anaheim defenseman ceded inside position and didn’t act quickly enough to prevent the scoring opportunity.

The circumstances of Patrick Maroon’s goal in the second period were virtually repeated in the third. Both times, the Ducks defenseman was caught puck-watching, seeming to lose track of his man right as the puck was arriving. On the Maroon goal, Anaheim defenseman Erik Gudbranson allowed Maroon to get inside position to scoop up the loose puck around the crease. Then, with Anaheim behind 5-2 and on the penalty kill, Jacob Larsson allowed Palat to get behind him as he watched Kevin Shattenkirk hammer a shot, from which Palat easily swept in the rebound. On both goals, the abdication of defensive duties left goaltender Ryan Miller with little chance to fend off the incursion.

The most auspicious goal for the Lightning was the chain of events leading to a pretty Nikita Kucherov snapshot. After the Cirelli line was hemmed in its own end, Cirelli managed to carry the puck through the neutral zone, but instead of chipping the puck deep and changing, he decided to initiate the forecheck.

Cirelli once again was deft at slithering into possession, as he feigned like he was going to bodycheck Jacob Larsson and instead pivoted at the last second and snatched the puck. What he did after gaining possession may be even more impressive, as Cirelli kept Larsson from reaching the puck while at the same time evading a swipe by Cam Fowler, who jumped in to help his defensive partner.



Cirelli successfully protected the puck from Larsson and Fowler long enough to allow Kucherov to alight in the slot. Cirelli slipped a nice feed for the Hart Trophy winner to crush into the net. It was yet another example of a Duck losing the battle of position—but kudos to Cirelli for the brilliant move to force the turnover. In addition to this, Cirelli now has four goals in the last four games. After a slow October, Cirelli is now playing up to the high expectations set for him at the start of the season.

After a bad first period, Tampa Bay played a strong second that buoyed them to victory. One of the small benefits of their recent spate of injuries has been the shake-up of the lines and how the Lightning forwards can be mixed and matched with everyone still providing an impact. If the Lightning are showing signs of being a more disciplined and versatile squad that doesn’t wilt on the forecheck and get outmaneuvered in the crease, this is bad news for the rest of the East.

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