Tampa Bay Lightning: What Went Wrong In Game 6?

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing J.T. Brown (23) crashes into New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) during the second period in game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to fall to pieces on the ice in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Amalie Arena.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had an opportunity in front of them tonight that would have put an end to the Eastern Conference Finals once and for all and punched their one-way ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Lightning seemed to fall to pieces leaving fans with their hands held in the air wondering what happened.

Before we get into this, it is going to sound like a lot of doom and gloom, which to some degree it very much is, but we want you to remember that the Tampa Bay Lightning has three more periods in front of them to prove that they earned their spot in the post season and they aren’t ready to head home just yet.

That being said, there are many things that the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to have to do much better if they want to get back on top of things and find themselves still in the post season come the sound of the final buzzer on Friday night at the Garden in the Big Apple.

So…let’s get down to business here. Let’s take a look at what went wrong in Game 6 and what the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to tighten up when they head into Game 7.

Too Many Unnecessary Penalties
Entirely Too Many Turnovers
Lack of Defensive Presence
Bad Outing for Ben Bishop

As we do in our game previews, let’s take a look at these issues one by one and dig a little deeper into the internal collapse tonight by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) gets called for cross checking Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) during the first period of game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Too Many Unnecessary Penalties

The Tampa Bay Lightning did not have what one would call an exuberant amount of penalties in tonight’s Game 6 matchup, but it was the timing of said penalties and the sheer unnecessary nature of a number of them that sting the most in tonight’s 7-3 loss.

There are really two of the Lightning’s four penalties that cause some concern for us. The first of those goals is the penalty to Nikita Kucherov in the opening minutes of the second period. While we will assert that this is one of the weakest incidents of Hooking we have ever seen, this is something that was completely unnecessary.

The upside here is that this penalty did not result in one of the Rangers 7 goals, but as with every penalty that both teams take, it opened the door for the Blue Shirts and provided them with an opportunity with the man advantage. The cause for concern is that it is not generally like Kucherov to take these kind of penalties and we don’t want to see it continue into Game 7.

The penalty that gave us the most cause for concern is the penalty assessed by Nikita Nesterov just before the halfway point in the third period. The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to have finally awakened on the ice, and this penalty not only killed the momentum but it opened the door for Rick Nash to capitalize on the Power Play and extend the Rangers lead to 6-2.

If the Lightning want to bring home the victory in Game 7 in front of the hostile New York Rangers crowd, they are going to have to be mindful of not only where they are on the ice, but where the other players are and avoid taking any penalties that are not absolutely necessary.

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) and New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi (5) battle for the puck during the second periodin game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Entirely Too Many Turnovers

This is an issue that the Tampa Bay Lightning has struggled with all season long. It seemed for quite some time that the Lightning had gotten a handle on the issue, but in tonight’s game the beast reared its ugly head once again and undoubtedly contributed to the Lightning’s Game 6 loss.

Through 60 minutes of play tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning was credited with 11 turnovers to the Rangers 8. A number of these turnovers happened either in the neutral zone as the Lightning attempted to play the puck or more dishearteningly in the defensive zone where they opened themselves up to a rash of scoring.

While there is no way in the world that any team can prevent turning over the puck 100% of the time, if the Lightning want to be successful in Game 7, they are going to have to minimalize the opportunities of the New York Rangers and play the puck much more defensively as they head into the Garden on Friday night.

If the Lightning are unable to accomplish this to a certain degree, there is that lingering darkness on the horizon that could envelop the Bolts and put an end to what has become an incredibly promising series for the young Lightning team.

We assure you that this is something that not only us as fans, but the players and the coaches as well really do not want to see come to pass on Friday night. Hopefully, in their two days off Coach Cooper will be able to help the team hit the reset button and come out strong.

Next: Lack of Defensive Presence

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (10) plays the puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn (55) during the second period of game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Lack of Defensive Presence

While in most cases when a game goes the direction of this one, both analysts and fans alike are usually entirely too quick to put the majority of the blame squarely on the shoulders of the losing netminder, this is not actually the case in all scenarios. It wasn’t the case in tonight’s Game 6 loss either.

The Lightning defense has improved leaps and bounds over the course of the season; especially after the addition of players like Braydon Coburn who can use their size to make a little noise on the ice. Unfortunately, that defensive presence seemed to be on vacation tonight at the Amalie Arena.

The New York Rangers were given entirely too much room to move around in the Lightning zone and this allowed them all the time they needed to set up their plays and execute their plan to perfection. This is not to say that the Rangers didn’t have their fair share of missteps, but at the end of the day it isn’t the Rangers who came out of this encounter with a 7-3 deficit.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to be successful on Friday night and punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals, they are going to have to take a step back and look at what happened in tonight’s game and compare that to the events that played out in their 2-0 victory in Game 5 on Sunday night.

If the Lightning can get back to playing that style of game when they head into Madison Square Garden on Friday night, they should have no issues in realizing their dreams of playoff glory.

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) reacts to a goal by New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (10) during the third period of game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Bishop’s Bad Night

We have said this before, and we will say it again. Even if you are considered to be the most elite goaltender in the National Hockey League, the day will come when you will fall from your pedestal and come crashing to the ground for all to see. That night just happened to be tonight for Ben Bishop.

While we will be the first ones to tell you that a number of the goals allowed by both Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight were attributed to the aforementioned defensive breakdown, there were quite a few goals that made their way past Bishop tonight that should have been no-brainers for the Lightning’s top netminder.

All in all, Bishop has not had a bad series in the post season; however, as the games continue to press on we can see the pressure mounting on the shoulders of Ben Bishop. If the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be successful on Friday night, Bishop is going to have to hit the reset button and come in to the Garden fresh.

As they mentioned in the post-game broadcast on NBC Sports, (yes…we actually agree with them for once,) Bishop is going to have to take one of the two days off and forget about blocking shots and forget about protecting the net and simply recharge his body and reset his mind so he came come into Game 7 sharp.

If Bishop can manage to do this, we think we will see a whole different man between the pipes on Friday.

As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, this may seem like a lot of doom and gloom. In some respects it kind of is, but at the end of the day the Tampa Bay Lightning still has three periods of hockey in front of them before they will either head towards their date with destiny or hang their heads in defeat.

If we have learned anything this season from the Tampa Bay Lightning, it is that they will not be held down that easily and that when push comes to shove, they have done a pretty good job of holding down the fort and getting the job done when their lives are on the line.

The Tampa Bay Lightning heads into Madison Square Garden on Friday night to take on the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. While the Bolts may be thousands of miles from home, the one thing they will still need by their side is their Thunder. Are you ready to Be The Thunder once again.

You can bet your bottom dollar we are. Win or lose on Friday night, we are proud of what the Tampa Bay Lightning has accomplished this season and we will bleed blue until the day we die.

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