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Lightning Demonstrate New Identity Against Canes

January 6, 2020, 9:01 AM ET [4 Comments]
Sam Hitchcock
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It was humiliating. In the Lightning’s third game of the season, they played the Carolina Hurricanes and got embarrassed. The scoreboard belied the pathos on the ice. The Lightning lost 4-3 in overtime, but that close score was largely the result of poor goaltending for Carolina and outstanding goaltending for Tampa Bay. Tragic as it was, it may have been a formative moment for the Lightning.

For three straight periods that October evening, the Hurricanes pelted the Lightning with shots. At 5v5, Carolina finished with an expected goals of 2.84 and 70 shot attempts, both of which are the worst totals allowed by the Lightning this season as they reach the halfway point with 41 games. The Lightning also finished with an under 1 expected goals for, which is pitiful (and also their worst of the season).

That woeful contest also triggered the normally even-tempered Steve Stamkos to complain to the press about the Lightning’s “freewheeling” style and the need for change. Four months later, the Lightning’s transformation is evident. Sure, in last night’s victory, they lost the shot attempt count—but the Lightning were better in expected goals and had more high-danger chances. Despite playing the second of a back-to-back, the Lightning were superb in their transition defense and in simplifying their game plan.

Without Ryan McDonagh, how the Lightning were going to exit their zone was going to be a fascinating subplot. The Hurricanes are very fast and they forecheck and support very well. Too many direct passes and the Hurricanes can hem a team in its end. They reached the conference finals last season by being super proficient in closing gaps and forcing turnovers. But for the most part, the Lightning yesterday did very well in moving the puck out of their end, although on the first two goals they caught two big breaks.

On the Mitchell Stephens goal, Braydon Coburn chipped the puck up the boards from the corner. The puck skipped past Carter Verhaeghe, who was set to receive it along the wing, and Dougie Hamilton thought he could corral the bouncing puck but also whiffed.



This gave Nikita Kucherov, who was leaking out of the zone, an opportunity to track down the puck and try to attack off the rush. I think Coburn intended for Verhaeghe to receive the puck, but the indirect zone exit worked like a charm. After Lucas Wallmark made a nice stop on the Kucherov pass as the last man back, the Hurricanes’ defensemen and Wallmark clustered together around the crease, allowing Verhaeghe to chase down the puck along the boards and zip a pass through the middle to Stephens on the weak side.

The Stamkos goal was also fortuitous. A missed icing by a Coburn clear allowed Kucherov to press Hamilton as the F1. Hamilton then spat the puck into the slot and Stamkos whipped it past Petr Mrazek.



In previous outings, the Lightning have tried area passes and indirect passes out of the zone on breakouts with little success. The Stamkos goal showcased their improved forechecking. The Stephens goal capitalized on the Hurricanes losing their defensive posture in transition defense, which is where a very tough defensive squad is slightly vulnerable. The Hurricanes are so disciplined in how they attack and defend that their opponents must exhibit patience and a penchant for seizing on opportunities when small windows are provided.

The Lightning did have turnovers when they attempted to use direct passes out of the zone—the worst was Kevin Shattenkirk’s turnover in the first period to Sebastian Aho—but only chipping the puck out is not a solution. If the Lightning only exited the zone indirectly, the Hurricanes would constantly retrieve the puck and regroup to re-enter the zone. The Lightning wanted to exit the zone with the puck, but they also needed to be shrewd as to when they needed to chuck the puck out and get off the ice.

The Brayden Point goal felt like the most vindicating tally. In last season’s playoffs, Columbus stymied Tampa Bay partly by exposing the Lightning stars as soft. Point, Stamkos, and Kucherov were ineffective on the forecheck and lost far too many board battles.

Yesterday’s goal by Point signaled the changing winds. An area pass by Mikhail Sergachev led to 42 seconds in the Hurricanes’ end, all of which were accomplished by the blood and sweat of the team’s three stars: Point, Stamkos, and Kucherov. They retrieved the puck, banged in the corners, and supported each other, and Kucherov used the side of the net as a springboard for Point to stuff a puck past Mrazek in the low slot.



This all happened against the Hurricanes’ top defensive pair, and it was achieved through determination, winning several plays in the corners and along the boards. If the Lightning bring that resolution to the playoffs, the rest of the East is in trouble.
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