Tampa Bay Lightning Hope To Maintain Momentum After NHL All-Star Game
The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to maintain the momentum they created before the NHL All-Star Game and bring home two points against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Tampa Bay Lightning finally started to find some of the chemistry they had been desperately searching for this season in the last eight or nine games prior to the All-Star Break. Now that players like Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop made the trip to Nashville for what turned out to be an incredible weekend, the Lightning are back home and ready to get back to business.
Tomorrow night, the Tampa Bay Lightning has an incredibly important task in front of them. The Lightning will need to dig deep and maintain some of the aforementioned chemistry they found before the All-Star break and channel everything they have into defeated their Atlantic Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings.
Why is this particular game of such importance, you may ask? Well, there are plenty of reasons why. The first of those reasons giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a chance to prove that time away from the ice is not enough in and of itself to derail the success the Lightning players have cultivated as of late.
While the aforementioned reason could certainly satisfy any questions about the necessity of a win in tomorrow night’s encounter, there is something that may be just as important – if not slightly more important – than the previous reason given.
As of this moment, the Detroit Red Wings are on the heels of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division standings. Should the Lightning lose tomorrow night against the Red Wings, they will most certainly be bumped from second place in the division and be forced to fight that much harder to find themselves in a comfortable position for the post season.
So…now that we know why tomorrow night’s game is of such importance, let’s take a look at what the Tampa Bay Lightning has to offer, what they’ll be up against, and what will need to be accomplished in order to bring home the two points against the Detroit Red Wings.
Much to the dismay of the Detroit Red Wings faithful, the Red Wings will be flying into town without the accompaniment of one of their key defensemen. Yahoo! Sports is reporting the Detroit Red Wings have placed defenseman Niklas Kronwall on long-term injured reserve with a knee injury.
While we would never, ever cheer a hockey player being injured, we cannot say this one pains us very much. At least Tampa Bay Lightning fans can breathe easy and not have to worry about the safety of their favorite players when they take the ice tomorrow night at the Amalie Arena.
As some of you may remember, during the opening round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Lightning were embroiled in an intense seven-game series with the Detroit Red Wings. In Game Six, the Red Wings defenseman took a run at Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov and delivered a crushing, and blatant, shot to the head of Kucherov. This move would ultimately see Kronwall suspended for Game 7 by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Speaking of Nikita Kucherov, the young Russian forward currently leads the way for the Tampa Bay Lightning in terms of overall points. So far this season, Kucherov has scored 20 goals and 21 assists for a total of 41 points. Kucherov is second only to Steven Stamkos in terms of goals scored and defenseman Victor Hedman in terms of assists.
On the other side of the ice, the Detroit Red Wings have a one-two punch leading the way in terms of points this season. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg and rookie Dylan Larkin are tied so far this season in regards to overall points. Zetterberg has brought home nine goals and 24 assists for a total of 33 points. At the same time, Larkin has brought home 15 goals and 18 assists for a combined total of 33 points.
If you were one of the millions of people who watched the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday night, you will undoubtedly remember the name Dylan Larkin. Dylan Larkin not only brought home the distinction of capturing the victory in the fastest skater competition, but he also topped former Arizona Coyotes right wing Mike Gartner’s record for the fastest lap; a record set all the way back in 1996.
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Larkin will definitely be one of the players the Tampa Bay Lightning will need to keep a close eye on in tomorrow night’s matchup. Larkin’s incredible speed could work to the detriment of the Lightning if given an opportunity at a breakaway or during a Power Play opportunity.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings have already met in the center of the ice twice this season. Unfortunately for the Tampa Bay Lightning, both of those encounters have ended in favor of the Red Wings. While the numbers may show the Red Wings with the advantage heading into tomorrow night’s encounter, never underestimate the determination and skill of a young team ready for another shot at the big show.
As they have proven for quite some time now, the Tampa Bay Lightning has everything they need at their disposal in order to be successful this season. If the Lightning are able to pick up where they left off before the NHL All-Star Break, the Lightning will be on their way to earning themselves a spot in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs and once again fighting for the opportunity to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup high above their heads.
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The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night at the Amalie Arena. 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.