Tampa Bay Lightning Hope To Get Back On Track Against Toronto
The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to steer the ship back in the right direction as they head into the Air Canada Centre to take on Dion Phaneuf and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have been stopped cold in their tracks on Tuesday night against Frans Nielsen and the New York Islanders, but now that the Lightning has had a day off to rest after yet another back-to-back series they’ll have a prime opportunity to steer the ship back in the right direction.
More from Lightning News
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Maxim Groshev Stands Out at Rookie Showcase
- Mikhail Sergachev hints a renewed vigor for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- How will Tyler Motte fit in with the Tampa Bay Lightning?
- Darren Raddysh Looks to Have Inside Track for Tampa Bay Lightning
- What does Brandon Hagel’s deal mean for the Tampa Bay Lightning?
The Lightning is headed to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to go one-on-one with Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
At this point, the Maple Leafs find themselves in just as tough of a position as the Lightning do. The only difference is, there situation takes the term outscored to a whole new level.
Bolts fans were mighty upset when the Bolts found themselves on the business end of a 5-2 loss at the Nassau Coliseum, but just imagine what it felt like to be a Maple Leafs fan on Tuesday night.
The Leafs were absolutely torn a new one, on home ice for the matter, as they lost 9-2 to Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators.
Now, some people would be led to believe that this will make the Maple Leafs a prime target to be picked off by an offense as dangerous as the Tampa Bay Lightning. While I have all the faith in the world in our offense, this is not going to be an easy match up.
When you suffer a defeat like the one that the Maple Leafs did on Tuesday night, it generally ignites a fire deep within a player’s soul; one that drives them harder than ever to bring home a win. Considering that they will be in front of their hometown crowd once again, you can guarantee that they will be ready to battle.
Now, when you put the win/loss records aside and you concentrate solely on the numbers, these two teams are not that far apart. Here’s a look at the numbers breakdown thanks to ESPN.
Bolts | Leafs | |
Goals Per Game | 3.6 | 3.05 |
Goals Against Per Game | 2.6 | 3.11 |
Shots on Goal Per Game | 29.9 | 31.16 |
Penalty Minutes Per Game | 9.95 | 9.37 |
Power Play Goals | 16 | 14 |
Power Play Percentage | 23.2% | 19.7% |
Penalty Kill Percentage | 80.9% | 83.6% |
As we said before, the numbers are eerily similar between the Lightning and the Maple Leafs. In fact, if anything, it would seem as if the Maple Leafs has a slight advantage.
There is one thing that fell flat in the Lightning’s matchup against the Islanders that could cause big trouble for the Bolts if we have a repeat performance tonight. The Bolts gave up 14 minutes in penalties against the Islanders.
If the Lightning can’t find a way to stay out of the penalty box, we could be presented with a whole new set of issues; ones that result in multiple goals.
Speaking of multiple goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning has a pretty intense battle brewing for the number one point scorer position on the team. Steven Stamkos leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists for a total of 22 points along with a plus-1 rating.
Right on Stamkos’ heels, we have center Tyler Johnson. Johnson has 6 goals and 15 assists for a total of 21 points alongside a plus-10 rating.
The Maple Leafs aren’t exactly slackers either. Leafs winger Phil Kessel has been keeping pace with Stamkos, scoring 11 goals and 11 assists for a total of 22 points.
We think the moral of the story here is that the Tampa Bay Lightning is going to have to strip away all the pomp and circumstance that come with an amazing looking shot, get back to basics, and grind the puck in front of the net.
They will need to stop overpassing the puck, take the shot when they are in the zone, and be in play for the rebound. While most of you will know that I have always been a proponent of quality over quantity, the sheer fact of the matter is that you never score on the shots you don’t take.
It is expected that Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop will be back in net tonight after taking the night off on Tuesday when Evgeni Nabokov got the start against his former team. After having a couple of nights off, Bishop should be well-rested and ready to go.
In the 16 games that Bishop has suited up for this season, he has managed to go 11-2-2 with a Goals Allowed Average of 2.26 and a Save Percentage of .919.
At this point, it is unknown who the Maple Leafs will choose to protect their net. Both goaltenders had their fair share of the responsibility in Tuesday’s 9-2 loss, so it will be solely up to Maple Leafs Head Coach Randy Carlyle to decide who will be between the pipes.
What do you think the score will be when the final buzzer sounds tonight at the Air Canada Centre? Which Lightning player do you think will strike first in the encounter? What do you think is the primary key to a Lightning victory tonight? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m., so let’s get ready to Be The Thunder and cheer the Bolts to a win!
Be sure to stay up-to-date with all the latest Lightning news and updates with Bolts By the Bay. LIKE us on Facebook at Bolts By The Bay, and you can follow us on Twitter at @BoltsByTheBay.
More from Bolts by the Bay
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Maxim Groshev Stands Out at Rookie Showcase
- Tampa Bay Lightning Atlantic Division Preview: Boston Bruins
- Do the Tampa Bay Lightning provide Tyler Motte with career stability?
- Mikhail Sergachev hints a renewed vigor for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Four training camp battles to watch with the Tampa Bay Lightning