Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Live Thread For Game No. 27
The Tampa Bay Lightning really stepped up and defeated the almighty Washington Capitals 2-1 in a shootout at the Amalie Arena. Tonight, the Lightning must do it again as they head to the PNC Arena to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bolts will need every little bit of their Thunder to keep momentum on their side tonight.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have done what some people considered to be impossible. After delving deep into a four-game losing streak, the Lightning charged into the Amalie Arena in the heart of the Bolts Nation to defeat one of the most powerful offenses in the National Hockey League, the Washington Capitals, 2-1 in a shootout.
As scary as this may sound, the amount of desperation in their hearts and the overwhelming desire to pull off a win in front of their hometown crowd was more than enough to inspire the players to work together as the cohesive unit they started off the season as.
This is a real accomplishment considering the amount of injuries they’ve been forced to deal with as of late. Especially when one of those injuries was announced just moments before the team was set to take the ice.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning face another difficult challenge. After putting everything on the line against the Capitals, the Lightning must head to the PNC Arena in North Carolina to finish off their back-to-back weekend as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a team who has their backs against the wall. The Hurricanes are currently 9-10-5 this season, which puts them in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.
Having dropped their last three games in a row, you can bet the Hurricanes will be looking to turn things around much like the Bolts did last night against Washington. The real question is, will they have the firepower to defeat a newly-reenergized Lightning team?
Right now, there are two players leading the way for the Hurricanes, forwards Victor Rask and Jeff Skinner. Rask and Skinner are currently tied for first place on the team in goals with nine apiece. Skinner is leading the way in assists with 11 compared to Rask’s nine. Of course, this means Skinner is leading in overall points with 20.
On the other side of the ice, after netting a goal in last night’s contest against the Capitals, Nikita Kucherov continues to lead the way for the Tampa Bay Lightning in all manners scoring. In the 25 games Kucherov has played so far this season, he has brought home 13 goals and 16 assists for a total of 29 points.
Much like we said in our Live Thread for the Capitals game, we’ll take those sort of numbers any day of the week. Just imagine what the Lightning’s scoresheet would look like if some of the team’s key players weren’t sidelined with various injuries.
Despite being on the back half of a back-to-back weekend series, the Lightning should be in a good position to embark on a new winning streak and make their way back home to face the Vancouver Canucks with another two points in hand.
At the same time, if we want to see this achievement unlocked, the Lightning are going to have to play as consistently as they did last night against the Washington. It’s a tall order, indeed, but if there is any team fans can count on to get it together in a pinch, it’s the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Next: Ben Bishop Steps Up Against Washington Capitals
We here at Bolts By The Bay will be here all night long bringing you all the latest action from tonight’s encounter with the Carolina Hurricanes. If you want to join the party, scroll on down to the comments section and discuss Lightning hockey with our staff and other like-minded fans.
As always, enjoy the game and never forget to Be The Thunder!!
Topics: Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference