Tampa Bay Lightning Seek Repeat Performance Over Anaheim Ducks

The Tampa Bay Lightning kick off a three-game road trip through the Western Conference as they take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has been through some immense struggles this season. They have seen breakdowns in everything from their listless offense to their almost non-existent special teams. Tomorrow night, the Tampa Bay Lightning has an opportunity to turn things around as they kick off a three-game road trip through the Western Conference as they take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The last time these two teams met, the Tampa Bay Lightning controlled every single aspect of the game. Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop got to celebrate his twenty-ninth birthday with a 5-0 shutout win over the Anaheim Ducks. Not a bad way to spend your birthday, if you ask us.

As these two teams prepare to meet once again, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Anaheim Ducks have some work to do. On Monday night, the Anaheim Ducks finally put an end to their two-game losing streak as they pulled out a 4-0 shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks at the Honda Center.

Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning are coming into this game under slightly different circumstances. The Tampa Bay Lightning blew a two-goal lead only to lose to the New York Islanders at the Amalie Arena on Saturday night. On the bright side, the Lightning has had a couple of days off in order to recharge their batteries, take a step back, and formulate a plan to get back on the right track.

Hopefully, the Tampa Bay Lightning will receive some good news in the next twenty-four hours that could have a serious impact on the outcome of tomorrow night’s encounter with the Ducks. Earlier, we discussed the possibility of center Cedric Paquette and left wing Jonathan Drouin returning to the Lightning lineup in time for the West Coast road trip. Adding these two back into the Lightning lineup would certainly shake things up.

Another possible return would be the re-emergence of Lightning center Tyler Johnson. As most of you know by now, things have been a little touch and go on the injury front for the twenty-five year old Spokane native. Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper has said there is a possibility Johnson would be returning to the lineup over the course of the current road trip, but he could not specify the exact date of his return.

We are sure as the team heads into practice later this afternoon, we will start to see the bigger picture come into focus, but if things go the way they have many times in the past these decisions may very well come down to the wire and be a game-time decision.

Here’s a look at a few things the Tampa Bay Lightning will need to do if they want to kick off their three-game road trip in style and bring home the two points in this opening encounter with the Anaheim Ducks.

• The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to have to hit the ice with a fiery passion and set the tone very early in the game. More importantly, the Lightning are going to have to find a way to keep this same intensity going for an entire 60 minutes of hockey.
• The Lightning are going to have to give up on making the SportsCenter highlight reel and start digging for some goals in the uglier places. On top of this, the Lightning need to capitalize on every opportunity by shooting the puck and digging deep for the rebound.
• One thing the Tampa Bay Lightning simply must accomplish is to stop the hemorrhaging in their Special Teams. The Lightning simply cannot allow a team like the Anaheim Ducks to control the play with the man-advantage and allow them to walk right into our zone. If this is something they cannot accomplish, they simply need to stay out of the penalty box.
• Another key to a victory tomorrow night in Anaheim is ensuring the defense stays in tight and doesn’t hang their goaltender out to dry. There are far too many occasions when the Tampa Bay Lightning will make a move in the defensive zone, only to allow a turnover and an odd-man rush with no one there to bail out the goaltender. It doesn’t matter whether it is Ben Bishop or Andrei Vasilevskiy in the net, the Bolts need to be aggressive and consistent both in front and beyond.

There is no denying the Tampa Bay Lightning has everything they need within their grasp. The Tampa Bay Lightning know what needs to be done in order to get back on track, and it is obvious they are frustrated in the way they have been playing lately. All you have to do is look at some of the comments made by people like Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who referred to the team’s recent performance as “Unacceptable.”

Hopefully, the team was able to use these few days off in order to clear their heads of all the negativity, formulate a plan, and get back to playing the style of hockey we have become accustomed to here in the Bolts Nation. Come what may, we still believe the Tampa Bay Lightning has what it takes to get the job done. All they have to do now is put one skate in front of the other and get the job done.

Next: Nikita Nesterov Needs To Prove He Belongs On The Main Roster

The puck is scheduled to drop at 10:30 p.m. EST tomorrow night in Anaheim. Make sure to stay connected right here to Bolts By The Bay as we bring you all the latest Tampa Bay Lightning, news, updates, commentary, and more.