The Lightning lose the best goaltender in the NHL in Andrei Vasilevskiy and they keep winning. Earlier in the season, their reigning Norris Trophy winner, Victor Hedman, missed time and they thrived in his absence. Tampa Bay falls behind by multiple goals and they fight back and win. The question that emerges to the outside viewer is how? How exactly do the Lightning continue to prevail in the face of adversity?

Tampa Bay is rich in talent from its first line down to its fourth, and it has a defensive group that looks increasingly formidable. Also, two players at the top, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, are as good as any forward duo in the NHL. Full stop. And if you want to know how a team erases a 4-1 lead and makes it look easy, having exceptionally creative and talented hockey players on your team is one way.

Kucherov is a hockey genius, and his assist on the Mathieu Joseph goal that cut the lead to 4-2 Panthers was so low-key brilliant it is worth highlighting. After the Lightning were hemmed in their own zone for over 40 seconds, Hedman was able to connect with Kucherov on a pass that allowed the Lightning to exit the zone. Everyone seemed ready for a line change including the Panthers, and Kucherov’s abrupt U-turn after carrying the puck out of the zone appeared like a signal that he wanted to pass the puck back to the Tampa Bay defense for a reset. And he did pass it to his defenseman, but Kucherov didn’t leave the ice.

Kucherov is cunning, and he had identified an opportunity to exploit the Panthers on an entry. Florida had done a nice job through a period and a half at slowing the Lightning down in the neutral zone and blunting their transition attack.



But with the neutral zone virtually unoccupied, there was room for Kucherov to ferry the puck into the offensive zone at full speed. He ran a give-and-go with Dan Girardi, and caught a tremendous break when Aaron Ekblad unwisely tried to step up and confront him at the blue line. Kucherov bolted past Ekblad and found Joseph for a one-timer at the top of the right circle. Kucherov is as good at manipulating a defense as any forward in the NHL, and he forced a line change with the implicit suggestion that he would join his linemates in exiting. Instead, he used it as a tactic to exploit an undermanned defense.

The neutral zone was an important area for the Panthers to stall the Lightning, and Florida had their defensemen stepping up on entries and dropped at least one forward back in the hope of forcing the Lightning to dump-and-chase. The Lightning’s response was to send a defenseman shooting up the boards as another possible puck-handler to carry the puck in on the entry, and four Lightning skaters are much harder to defend than three. This adjustment led to the game-tying goal.

With 8:30 left in the third period, down 4-3, Mikhail Sergachev nestled behind the net and let his forwards complete a line change.



With Joseph and Cedric Paquette running curls on the right side, the Panthers shaded toward the right. Sergachev’s defensive partner, Ryan McDonagh plopped himself as an outlet on the left side and due to the skullduggery that dragged the Panthers to the right, McDonagh was able to transport the puck without resistance from blue line to blue line and easily gain entry. Once McDonagh met a Panthers defenseman five feet inside the blue line of the offensive zone, McDonagh chipped the puck deep, and the pressure from the pinching defenseman (McDonagh) on the left and the Tampa Bay forechecker on the weak side (Joseph) provoked a turnover from the overwhelmed Panther defender. While Paquette didn’t score off the first turnover, Joseph’s dogged puck pursuit enabled Paquette to get a second whack at the puck in the low slot.

Hall of Fame baseball player Willie Keeler is famous for the motto, “Keep your eye on the ball and hit ‘em where they ain’t.” Mr. Keeler’s axiom applies to the Lightning and their flexibility in terms of how they respond to an opponent’s game plan. If the neutral zone becomes gridlocked and rush chances are suppressed, the Lightning are very capable of chipping-and-chasing. Tampa Bay can generate scoring opportunities off a relentless forecheck that create turnovers and a cycle that has five skaters threatening to attack. The Lightning finished the game with 55 Corsi for to the Panthers 37 at 5v5. They controlled play, especially in the first two periods. The Lightning were quick to the puck on retrievals after the shot attempt and demonstrated nice passing from forward to defenseman in the offensive zone, with the Alex Killorn goal in the first period being a prime example.

And if the Lightning don’t want to surrender the puck at the blue line, they have ways of bypassing that obstacle as well. They have a mobile defensive group that can lead an entry and they have forwards with the skill and vision to sneak-attack opponents when they are vulnerable on a line change. Part of growing up is realizing that there are always going to be people who are smarter than you and more athletic than you. You can work hard and stay focused, but innate advantages are extremely difficult to overcome. Florida lost last night because the world is unforgiving, and at some point the cream always rises to the top.

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