Tampa Bay Lightning Reach Turning Point In The Season
As the Tampa Bay Lightning embark on a six-game road trip through the West Coast, they have reached a turning point in the season where every move could be their last.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have definitely had more than their fair share of difficulties this season. Unfortunately, many of those injuries have centered around the insane amount of injuries the team has been forced to deal with so far this season.
Today, the Tampa Bay Lightning kick off a six-game road trip through the West Coast with their first stop being the Staples Center where they are set to take on the Los Angeles Kings. This is an important game for the Lightning. The team’s performance on this road trip will be very telling as to where the remainder of the season is headed.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t manage to emerge victoriously over the course of this road trip, the Lightning’s postseason streak will more than likely come crashing to the ground and the Bolts will be forced to turn their focus towards improving for next season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
This may sound like a very doom and gloom perspective on things; however, the time for excuses has come and gone. There is no denying the plethora of injuries the team has dealt with as of late has wreaked havoc on the team and their chemistry, but their problems are much deeper than their injury list.
One of the biggest hindrances to the team this season has been their utter lack of consistency. The Bolts will come out on any given night with a fire in their strides and a passion in their souls, ready to play a consistent 60 minutes of hockey. Then, the very next night, the Bolts will play like your average beer league team.
The most disappointing thing about this is the team is far better than this. The Lightning are filled to the brim with talented players at every single position, both at the NHL and AHL level. It’s understandable that chemistry plays a role in this situation, but there comes a time when enough is enough.
Another issue the Lightning have been dealing with this season has been their utter lack of leadership. Now, we are not talking about leadership when it comes to Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper or anyone behind the bench. This is specifically directed at the players taking the ice night in and night out.
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has spent almost the entire season on the injured list after having to undergo surgery to repair a lateral tear in his right meniscus. At the same time, Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan, who is currently projected to miss another four weeks, has spent just as much time on the injured list with a recurring issue with his surgically repaired hip.
As the Lightning have never named a definitive second alternate captain, the Lightning’s entire leadership core has now been relegated to the sidelines. If the Tampa Bay Lightning have any chance in the world of making a run for the postseason, one of the healthy players must step up and take charge in the locker room and on the ice.
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At this particular moment, there are two players on the Lightning roster who should be considered for this position. Those players would be Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman or forward Brian Boyle. Both of these players have more than enough experience in the league and the knowledge necessary to right the course.
Brian Boyle is one of the most versatile players on the team. Boyle can play proficiently at any position and can change directions at the drop of a hat. So far this season, Brian Boyle has brought home 10 goals and three assists for a total of 13 points in 36 games. These numbers place Boyle in fifth place on the team in goals.
Victor Hedman is just as hot on the ice as Boyle is this season, just in a slightly different way. In the 44 games he’s played so far this season, Heddy has brought home seven goals and a whopping 30 assists for a total of 37 points. These numbers not only place in him first place on the team in assists, but also second place in overall points; just behind Lightning leading point-scorer, Nikita Kucherov.
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There is plenty of hockey left to play this season before the real fight for the postseason begins, but if the Tampa Bay Lightning don’t manage to start playing like the team fans know and love as opposed to the team we’ve spent most of the season watching, they are going to be in some serious trouble.