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Lightning Lose Kucherov and Game |
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The Lightning were disciplined on Saturday night. Tampa Bay kept generating power play opportunities, and by the game’s end, they had accrued five man-advantage chances to the Capitals’ two. Then, toward the end of the power play in the second period, Nikita Kucherov blocked a John Carlson slapshot with his foot. Kucherov left the game and didn’t return. Tampa Bay lost to Washington 5-2, and if the Bolts are without their best player for an extended time, it could be devastating.
It is a real shame because with a healthy Kucherov the Lightning have been playing great hockey. Last night, the Lightning looked to be the Capitals’ equal. The Lightning finished the game with more shot attempts and scoring chances at 5v5. The top six especially were thriving at 5v5, with the Alex Killorn-Steven Stamkos-Anthony Cirelli line finishing with six shots while allowing zero. In high-danger chances, the Stamkos line finished with a +3.
Brayden Point looked especially lively last night. In the first period, he had a wonderful interchange with Mikhail Sergachev that nearly led to a goal, and his line with Kucherov and Ondrej Palat finished with a +5 in Corsi Plus-Minus. Ultimately, though, a few misguided decisions felled the Lightning, along with Andrei Vasilevskiy getting outplayed by the rookie Ilya Samsonov, and the loss of Kucherov.
It seemed like a good idea at the time
The Nicklas Backstrom goal was such an obvious blunder that it’s not worth wasting much space on. It was cringeworthy in a Murphy’s Law sort of way. Plus, Jan Rutta made amends later in the game when he scored the Lightning’s second goal.
The two bad choices that the Lightning can actually learn from are the Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway goals. On the Eller goal, three Capitals forwards were in the Lightning zone buzzing around despite the fact that Kevin Shattenkirk had the puck on the regroup. Furthermore, even though Washington’s forwards were pressing, Dmitry Orlov was very aggressively positioned as the strong-side defenseman. When Shattenkirk received the puck, he identified that Orlov had no coverage underneath.
By attempting the stretch pass to Alex Killorn, who was behind Orlov and at the far blue line, Shattenkirk obviously thought it could spring Killorn for an odd-man rush. Of course, if Shattenkirk completes the pass, and Killorn barrels in for the rush chance and scores, Shattenkirk is a hero. Hindsight is 20/20. My objection lies in the type of pass. Orlov was on the Lightning’s side of the red line. Killorn and Orlov had a lot of separation. Go for the aerial pass, Kevin! If Shattenkirk sails that over Orlov’s head, it is either a lob pass that scampers too far past Killorn or it is completed and the Lightning get the rush chance.
Instead, Shattenkirk telegraphed the pass and tried to fire a caromed pass on the ice past Orlov. At the very least, if Orlov had intercepted an aerial pass attempt, he would have needed to leap in the air and grab it, thus taking the wind out of the Capitals’ counterattack. By Shattenkirk keeping it on the ice, it was almost like Orlov was the intended recipient.
The Hathaway goal was a mistake by Mathieu Joseph. Pause the tape at 17:25, and Joseph is side by side with Hathaway.
The sequence became a three-on-two for the Capitals, but it didn’t need to be. What happened is that Joseph gambles and tries to intercept the Radko Gudas stretch pass, which leaves him off balance. The Capitals seized on that misguided idealism, and Erik Cernak and Sergachev were left out to dry by the kids, who should have been there in transition defense, but weren’t.
Vasilevskiy mishaps
Strange game for Vasilevskiy. He ducks the shot from Eller in a way that echoed the infamous Ilya Bryzgalov duck against the Montreal Canadiens several years ago. He was slow on his push to the opposite post on the T.J. Oshie goal. Even the Hathaway goal, while lucky, came off a failed pokecheck. Bottom line: Samsonov made several crucial saves and outplayed Vasilevskiy. If the Lightning are going to beat the Capitals in the playoffs, they need the goaltending edge.
The Capitals are one of the few teams in the NHL who are the Lightning’s match in terms of speed, skill, and depth. It’s clear that both teams want to play the same way, but what was exciting for the Lightning is that they were succeeding against the favorite to win the Presidents’ Trophy. The Bolts defensemen were stepping up in the neutral zone and slowing down the Capitals’ rush. Tampa Bay was generating offense off the rush and forecheck. Even after Kucherov got injured, Point and Stamkos had a few golden opportunities to register goals but couldn’t finish.
The numbers for the Lightning in December have been bonkers. They are dominating play and the underlying numbers show that they are a Cup-caliber team. One hopes that the Kucherov injury isn’t serious because it would be terrible luck if, right when things were coalescing, Tampa Bay lost its superstar for an extended time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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