Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Build Winning Streak Against Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning look to build on their victory over the Washington Capitals and start a winning streak with a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes
The Tampa Bay Lightning shooed all the haters to the dark corners of the room when they accomplished a feat many had considered to be insurmountable. After falling head-first into a four-game losing streak, the Lightning returned home to the Amalie Arena where they defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in the shootout.
Lightning fans in attendance at the game nearly blew the roof off the place as Nikita Kucherov lined up a beautiful knuckler and beat Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby to open up things for the Bolts. As the Lightning made their way to the shootout, fans made their way to the edge of their seats.
Needless to say, they were not disappointed. Lightning netminder Ben Bishop held strong during the shootout, only allowing Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov to find the back of the net. On the other side of the ice, both Brian Boyle and Brayden Point were able to beat Holtby and secure the win for the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a new challenge in front of them. The Bolts are headed to the PNC Arena in Raleigh where they will finish off their back-to-back weekend series as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Much like a few of the other teams the Lightning have faced this season, the Carolina Hurricanes are not what one would call a “challenge.” The Hurricanes are 9-10-5 this season, which places them in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. The only team further down in the rankings than them is the New York Islanders.
At the same time, it would be an incredible mistake for the Lightning to sit back on their heels and relax against a team that just dropped their third game in a row just 24 hours ago to the New York Rangers. Much like the Bolts were against the Capitals, the Canes are faced with a tough situation they’d probably kill to get out of.
This is when a team is at their most dangerous, and if the Lightning wants to cultivate a winning streak, fans will need to see much of the same Lightning team that took the ice less than 24 hours prior. It may be a challenge given the amount of injuries the Bolts have right now, but it’s not an impossible dream.
Let’s take a look at how things could shake out tonight between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes from the PNC Arena in Raleigh.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to deal with a number of injuries that have caused Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper to shake things up on more than one occasion. As most fans know by now, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will remain sidelined until at least mid-March with his knee injury.
At the same time, Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison remains sidelined tonight after taking a puck to the leg on December 1st against the St. Louis Blues. This is definitely not good news for the Lightning’s blueline. Garrison leaves behind some pretty big skates to feel, but the Lightning have the necessary pieces to get the job done.
In addition to Stamkos and Garrison, the Lightning will take the ice in Raleigh tonight without the assistance of alternate captain Ryan Callahan and forward J.T. Brown. Callahan has been sidelined since November 29th with a Lower Body Injury while Brown has been on the bench since sustaining an Upper-Body Injury.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to cultivate a winning streak for themselves tonight in Raleigh, they are going to have to stick to their system, be aggressive with the puck, and for the love of the hockey gods, stay out of the penalty box.
Carolina Hurricanes
On the other side of the ice, the Carolina Hurricanes are dealing with a number of injuries of their own. Of the many Hurricanes injuries, one of the most notable is Hurricanes alternate captain Jordan Stall, who is out with a concussion. The Hurricanes will also be without Elias Lindholm (Lower-Body Injury), Eddie Lack (concussion), and Bryan Bickell (illness).
Given their reputation this season, one could easily assume this is going to be a walk in the park for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Bolts have seen what happens when you underestimate a team who has their backs against the wall. The Lightning have made that mistake before with the Buffalo Sabres, and it cost them big.
The Lightning will have to keep a close eye on the Hurricanes’ top line. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask are tied for first place on the team in goals scored. On the other hand, Skinner is leading the way for the team in both assists and overall points.
The Bolts will need to give this dynamic duo the “Nikita Kucherov treatment” and make sure there are always bodies on them ready to knock them off the puck and break up the play.
The Fact of the Matter
The Tampa Bay Lightning have everything they need at their disposal in order to make short work of the Carolina Hurricanes. As long as the team continues to work together as a single cohesive unit, stays strong on the blueline, and are aggressive with the puck, the Bolts will find themselves in a favorable position when the final buzzer sounds.
Next: Ben Bishop Steps Up Against Washington Capitals
You can catch all of tonight’s action on Fox Sports Sun. If you prefer to listen to the game, you can head on over to 970WFLA or TBL Power Play on iHeartRadio. Need the action on the go? Check out the Fox Sports Go app, which is available in both the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store.