The Lightning snapped their 3-game losing streak Monday night, primarily on the back of an inspired performance by goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Blackhawks successfully exploited the Lightning defensemen’s lack of foot speed and inclination to confront puck-carriers on the perimeter, but Vasilevskiy’s anticipation and athleticism thwarted scoring opportunities, allowing for a 2-0 Tampa Bay shutout.

The Blackhawks did not make it easy for Vasilevskiy, taking advantage of the center gap in doing so. Early in the first period, Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad got a nice tip off the rush, and although Brayden Point was in coverage, he was unable to prevent a shot attempt. There was also a Patrick Kane to Patrick Sharp two-on-one, which took advantage of the significant defensive pairing mismatch of Andrej Sustr with Braydon Coburn. (Sustr’s positioning on this play was dreadful. Kane’s ease in opening up a passing lane and getting to the inside of the neutral zone was frightening.)

A breakaway by Chicago’s Anthony Hinostroza was another opportunity through the middle of the ice. Lightning defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Dan Girardi were split too far wide, and an off-balance slap shot by Girardi was blocked. Hinostroza shot through the middle to split the two defenders for a clear path look that drew a penalty. Incredibly, all three of these scoring looks were generated before the first television timeout of the game!

The Lightning defense did a slightly better job of plugging the middle after that, although Blackhawks forward Anthony Duclair did obtain a breakaway in the third after he galloped past Chris Kunitz through the middle of the ice, taking advantage of a Sergachev pinch. While Tampa Bay was badly outshot in the second period, and the Lightning survived a 5-on-3 triggered by Sergachev, it was more own-zone woes that beleaguered them. Passes failed to connect from defenseman to forward, defenseman to defenseman, and forward to forward. A blur of sloppiness unfurled across all sixty feet.

The injury to Ondrej Palat forced a shake-up of the forward lines, which brought about the delightful linking of Nikita Kucherov with Tyler Johnson and Point. All three forwards can carve out room for themselves, and they can do it on the rush or forecheck. Cooper seems strongly adverse to splitting up Johnson and Point, and it is not hard to see why. One of the most unstoppable actions the Lightning have is when Johnson or Point possess the puck with room in transition, and the off-the-puck player can dart past the nearest defenseman to find the inside track to the net. It is an exhiIarating athletic feat to watch, and yet Johnson and Point make it – catching the puck in stride, pulling their body and the puck from the outside to the inside lane, and doing so while maintaining control to fend off the defensemen behind them and keep the goaltender stationary in front of them – look simple. In the opening minutes, Point almost scored off a Johnson feed in this exact scenario.

The shared attributes of these two forwards are why this maneuver can succeed regardless of the opponent. Point and Johnson both have exceptional acceleration, and are proficient at converting the puck from backhand to forehand, as well as protecting the puck from the recovering defenseman.

They also must be cognizant of the goaltender they are bearing down on, and it is paramount to keep the puck in control so the goaltender does not see an opportunity to confront the charging forward. Keeping the puck out of reach of both defensemen, and identifying the distance necessary so the goaltender would be terrified to leave his crease because he would be caught badly out of position, is a tricky dance. It requires balance and grace, as well as high skill. Point and Johnson excel at this.

While Kucherov’s playmaking created seams for his linemates and his line easily produced the most scoring chances, they were unable to score a goal. Which underlines the question: What is the tradeoff? It was evident from last night that, if Kucherov is going to play with Point and Johnson, the Lightning are concentrating all of their best offensive catalysts on one line.

Without Kucherov, Steven Stamkos was sanitized. He collected scoring chances, but playing with Vladislav Namestikov and Chris Kunitz, his line was not as influential as one would hope. Their impact was not consistent, and Stamkos and Namestikov were unable to create separation like the first line did, and their ability to manufacture a sustained cycle was more difficult.

Stamkos is a different player than he was earlier in his career. He is much more comfortable as half shooter/half playmaker now, and Namestikov’s gifts are in puck-handling and passing as well. Watching Stamkos and Namestikov putter around and struggle with entries, they would have benefited from having a linemate who would draw the gravity away from them. Kucherov, Point, and Johnson can all check that box.

The Lightning’s defense will be spotty for as long as Hedman is injured and the defensive group is as currently constituted. At this point, odd-man rushes from slow foot speed and the inability to exit the zone are features, not a bug. Even before the Lightning lost Palat, the path to success was always going to be driven by low-scoring games won with goaltending and an offense that controls the puck but eeks out only a few goals. Finding the right balance on the first two lines will help determine the Lightning’s fate.

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