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Lightning Extend Win Streak to Six |
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As their consecutive win count now necessitates using two hands, the Lightning creep up the standings and position themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Last night’s 5-3 score marked Tampa Bay’s sixth straight victory, although it was an uneven performance. The Lightning finished with a shade less expected goals than the Senators, and only equaled Ottawa in high-danger chances. Also, the Lightning trailed the Senators 3-2 in the third period. Here are three interesting developments from last night’s game.
The Lightning defensemen’s value
The Lightning notched four 5v5 goals, all of which prominently involved their defensemen as catalysts. On both the Carter Verhaeghe and Tyler Johnson tallies, Hedman scurried below the circles and fed a forward in the slot for the marker. The other two goals came off the rush, with Kevin Shattenkirk slapping in a shot as the second wave and Mikhail Sergachev supporting Nikita Kucherov in transition before sliding a pass to Brayden Point.
In the five straight wins before last night’s game the defensemen were also extremely important because Tampa Bay’s offense wasn’t dominating at 5v5. In high-danger chances per 60 minutes, they ranked 19th over the course of that stretch. In expected goals per hour, they ranked 16th. Where the Lightning really shined during their biggest win streak of this season was defensively. In expected goals against per 60 minutes and high-danger chances per hour, they ranked 2nd. Their high-danger save percentage ranked 1st and their 5v5 save percentage ranked 8th. The Lightning have been stifling opponents from generating scoring opportunities, but when the opponent did create chances, the Bolts’ goaltending has been stupendous.
However, last night was a departure from that defensive vise. The Lightning were sloppy at 5v5 and on special teams. The Bolts’ power play, which led to the Senator’s Chris Tierney’s shorthanded goal, was an atrocious two minutes. At 5v5, the Mark Borowiecki strike was a bad lapse right before the second frame ended. Exacerbating the issue is that Ryan McDonagh left the game with an undisclosed injury.
Assuming McDonagh misses today’s game against Carolina, his absence would be a big loss. During the half-dozen wins, McDonagh has had a +7 high-danger chances plus-minus and the 4th best expected goals rate on the Lightning. Without him, it likely means more time for Shattenkirk, who has an expected goals percentage under 50 percent and a -3 high-danger chances plus-minus. If McDonagh doesn’t play today, the Bolts may need the defensemen to buoy the offense again.
Creating Turnovers
The Lightning started the season not being able to forecheck, but now they are proficient at it. The importance of this cannot be overstated. On the Verhaeghe goal, the Lightning forwards created five turnovers off the forecheck as the Senators feebly tried to exit their zone and kept coughing the puck up to Tampa Bay. It was an exquisite demonstration of retrieving as well. The Lightning won races to the corners and owned the boards enough that Yanni Gourde even managed to be a playmaker despite facing the glass and being a couple of inches from the stanchion.
On the Shattenkirk goal, Ondrej Palat intercepted a pass through the neutral zone from Connor Brown and turned it into a counterattack.
The Lightning defensemen’s gaps were not as tight in this game, in part because the Senators were consistently trying to have their forwards fly the zone. But if the Bolts’ defensemen are sagging, their forwards need to tighten up their gaps in the middle zone. The Palat takeaway was an excellent exhibition of strong transition defense.
Nikita Kucherov’s turnover
Nikita Kucherov rarely gets criticized on the Lightning broadcast. Brian Engblom and Rick Peckham generally celebrate his incredible offensive skill, and when the Hart Trophy winner makes a mistake they tread lightly. But last night Kucherov had another turnover high in the offensive zone where he tried to cross up a Senators player, causing Engblom to express as much disapproval for the Lightning superstar as he is willing to offer on the broadcast. The “tsk, tsk” was warranted. On December 17th, the last time these two teams played, Kucherov tried this same gambit, and it ended up with Anthony Duclair pilfering the puck and scoring on a breakaway.
The Lightning are trying hard to shift their identity to a team that exercises discipline by staying out of the penalty box and managing the puck well. For the most part, the entire team has been using good judgment when puck-handling except Kucherov when he thinks he can beat guys one-on-one above the circles. Kucherov unequivocally possesses the gifts to deke his adversaries, but in a one-score game the risk-reward of such audacity makes the proposition unsavory. One wonders how long a leash Jon Cooper will extend to Kucherov if he continues to sporadically try such reckless moves.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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