When the Lightning traded two first-round picks for two forwards (Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow) at the trade deadline, Tampa Bay bolstered their speed and skill in its top-nine forward group. Coleman played on the second line with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli for most of his time with the Bolts, forcing Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, two putative top-six forwards, to depth forward roles, at least when Steven Stamkos was healthy.

The sharpening of the knives in the forward cabinet also provided a starker contrast to Cedric Paquette and Patrick Maroon, both of whom are rooted in the starting lineup but add a different element to the Bolts’ style of play. Paquette and Maroon are not finesse players. They are slower and lean heavily on the forecheck, not the rush. Moreover, in the eyes of Jon Cooper, they bring a physical quotient that the Lightning sometimes lack.

But Paquette and Maroon’s flaws can complicate matters. Their lack of foot speed can be dangerous in transition and they can be slow to recover in defensive coverage. Simply put, if they aren’t on the attack, there is concern that they could be a liability. A dynamic line can expose them in an ugly way, forcing Cooper to be careful with how he uses them. Therefore, I have outlined three goals for them this postseason.

1. Take a piece out of the opponent’s defensemen
How NHL coaches and management engage with the league’s past, especially from a strategy standpoint, is endlessly fascinating. A bruiser inflicting punishment on an opponent’s best defensemen evokes the days of Denis Potvin and Bobby Orr, when coaches mused that the best way to slow down the playmaking defensemen was to drive him through the boards after he retrieved the puck in the corner.

The NHL makes those retrievals safer now for defensemen – thankfully –but this doesn’t mean an exacting a flurry of bodychecks on the forecheck won’t cause attrition and affect decision-making for some. With the NHL logically more focused on strategy that is decided through a quantitative lens, wearing down the enemy defensemen is an ideal consigned to the fuzzy qualitative. But just because we don’t have an appreciable gauge for it doesn’t mean it lacks value.

The Bruins’ defensive group, especially the likes of Charlie McAvoy and Torey Krug, are too tough and talented to have their decision-making altered by a crunching check. But if they are peeling themselves off the boards that should affect their legs and how well they can jump into the rush. Toronto’s defensive group is so oriented toward transition that a heavy forecheck from the Bolts’ fourth line could lead to a bunch of hasty decisions.

Paquette and Maroon need to be careful so that they aren’t chasing a big hit in the corner and get caught late returning on defense. A punishing bodycheck is effective as long as it doesn’t come at a cost for the Lightning. Since the Bolts’ forwards are mostly not a very physical bunch, what Paquette and Maroon can add is a level of discomfort for the opposition. If they can twin that with a sustained forecheck, the Bolts will be in happy.

2. Lean more on the defensemen
The Lightning have four defensemen – Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, and Kevin Shattenkirk – who are eager for opportunities to contribute offense. When the first line is on the ice, the playmaking and scoring chance are more likely to come from Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, or Brayden Point. But the fourth line doesn’t really have a rush game. They are forecheck - and cycle-centric, which should embolden the Bolts’ defensemen to take more of a lead role.

Maybe that looks like Hedman or Sergachev trying to accelerate past the opposing winger at the blue line and take a shot around the slot. Or Shattenkirk or Cernak trying to beat the opposing forward to the weak side. One thing that Paquette and Maroon do effectively is create traffic in front of the net, so the defensemen can spread out along the point and whip shots into the mayhem in front and hope the puck is deflected or slips through the layers of screens.

3. Stay out of the penalty box
It is the least sexy ambition, but it is arguably the most important. Maroon and Paquette are going to be throwing their bodies around, but they cannot be reckless. The Lightning habitually struggle with discipline. They are always one of the most penalized teams in the NHL, but in the postseason those trips to the sin bin cannot be coming from Paquette and Maroon. They are energy players, and so logically there are no expectations that they chip in goals. But they also cannot take away more than they add. A parade to the penalty box has the potential of vaporizing the Lightning’s Cup dreams.

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