Whether the Lightning can modify their identity is going to be the theme of this season. The Lightning are characterized by speed and skill. They make the extra pass. “Push the pace and try not to dump and chase” is their mantra. Coach Jon Cooper’s message has been clear: Trust your talent and you can break the rules. Over the last three seasons, Tampa Bay has unapologetically finished near the top of the league in minor penalties. It is a haven for developing creative types.
Last night’s game showed a team still finding itself. The Lightning won 5-2, but there are still places where they need to find a better balance between creativity and toughness.
The sequence that should have left viewers the most hopeful was Kucherov’s rocket on the delayed penalty. That play had the most strands of Cup-winner DNA. The first hero is the player who started the revolution. Mathieu Joseph exhibited power and speed as he recovered the puck in the neutral zone, charged up the ice, drew a penalty and, under pressure, maintained control of the puck before sending it back to Braydon Coburn at the point.
The clip starts with Nikita Kucherov already on the ice as the sixth man because of the delayed penalty.
But eyes should be drawn to Yanni Gourde, whose impact here is paramount. Mikhail Sergachev has just whistled a one-timer from the top of the point, and at the six-second mark, as the puck totters toward Gourde after getting slowed by the traffic, Gourde chops down Aaron Ekblad and allows Coburn to recover the puck.
That was the first key play. Then, at the eleven-second mark, Sergachev flings a wrister on net, but as the puck gets pushed wide, Kucherov wins the race to the boards against Mike Matheson and boxes him out. But Kucherov is under a lot of pressure from Matheson and never touches the puck, instead allowing Gourde to snatch possession and keep the six-on-five alive, sliding the puck to Joseph as the puck gets passed back to Sergachev.
Serghachev yanks Frank Vatrano over to the middle and opens up a seam for Kucherov, who whacks a one-timer into a screen that takes away goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s eyes. Who sets the deadly screen? It is Gourde, who after successfully retrieving the puck arcs back toward the low slot and, right as Kucherov is connecting with the puck, adds the second layer of body behind Matheson for the double screen on Bobrovsky.
In addition to Coburn, Sergachev deserves oodles of credit for this sequence. There was a great pick-up off his skate before the clip starts, where Coburn is traveling down the left side of the boards and fires a pass into Sergachev’s boot, but the young defenseman calmly controls it and allows the delayed penalty assault to continue. His decision-making on the sequence should be lauded. He has a great shot, and is efficient at hammering the puck on net and not wasting time. Also, as mentioned above, his force of gravity shifts not just the trajectory of Vatrano, but also of Vincent Trocheck, who blindly follows Sergachev toward the middle and allows Kucherov to tee up from the top of the circle with only one enemy body threatening to block his laser on net.
I commented on this on my Twitter, but maybe the best aspect of the Lightning’s victory is that they found the shooting lanes and the forwards in the slot weren’t getting boxed out, allowing them to deflect shots and slap at rebounds.
The biggest complaint from last night is for the two headliners on the first line, Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Kucherov and Stamkos need to be less picky in their shot selection. Against the Panthers, there were several times when they were able to puck-handle or cut themselves into space, and had good looks at the net. Yet they chose to hold onto the puck instead of shooting, ceding a good shot opportunity in search of a great one. The irony of a writer giving Kucherov and Stamkos offensive pointers is not lost on me, but that doesn’t make the idea any less valid.
In the playoffs, Kucherov and Stamkos are not going to be able to slash through defenses and create off the rush to the same degree that they can during the regular season. We know that for certain. Transition defense is more vigorous. Gaps are tighter. Hesitation to shoot from the Lightning’s best forwards is concerning because this team is top-heavy in its even-strength scoring.
A little over halfway through the second period, Kucherov tried to skate through multiple Panthers players and his turnover led to an odd-man rush, which the Lightning escaped only because Mike Hoffman decided to try to pass it back to Brett Connolly instead of smashing a shot from the low slot. It could have been a two-goal swing, but ultimately it was an opportunity lost for the Lightning. Kucherov and Stamkos are unbelievable shooters. If they have a step on a defenseman and a clear look on net from inside the circles, they need to shoot more often than not.
The Lightning’s breakout was also messy. The defensemen really struggled with that first pass when they would retrieve the puck below the goal line. The Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh combo made a lot of passes with their backs facing the zone and they would chuck the puck up the boards to where their winger was supposed to be. Sometimes, the puck went right to a Panthers skater. (It is worth mentioning that the Victor Hedman-Kevin Shattenkirk duo finished with a team worst Corsi Plus-Minus at 5v5.)
The alternative for McDonagh and Cernak is skating the puck out a few steps if they do not have a forechecker breathing down their backs. Ideally, skate into an area to make available a better passing lane, instead of shoveling it blindly into an area and hoping the support is there. When the Lightning defense uses its mobility, it can potentially push the forecheckers back and allow them to carry the puck out themselves.
The Boston Bruins’ defensive corps is especially proficient at this task of retrieving the puck with speed and using it as a springboard for a rapid zone exit. When Cernak and McDonagh reached the puck, their skates halted. Also, parting with the puck at the right time is essential, as in the second period Erik Cernak got shunted into the boards in the neutral zone, and with no one underneath to cover the Panthers created a 2-0. There is a middle ground between blindly passing into an area upon retrieval and skating oneself into being trapped along the boards.
One area that has been a concern all offseason is the Lightning forecheck, but there were encouraging signs last night. Cirelli’s interception of a pass as the F3 set up a terrific opportunity for Ondrej Palat on the weak side. Also, the Shattenkirk goal that came as the power play expired was a result of Cirelli drawing a penalty on the Lightning forecheck.
Last night’s box score is deceiving. A glance would show that the Lightning scored only one goal on the power play, but that fails to tell the story. Kucherov scored on a delayed penalty. Shattenkirk and Patrick Maroon struck as the man advantage expired. It is only one game into the season, but not relying on the power play to buoy the offense should be a focus for the Lightning going forward.
All the same, the Lightning got the win. Andrei Vasilevskiy was terrific, and there are 81 games to iron out the kinks. Even without Brayden Point in the lineup, the Bolts will be formidable.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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