Tampa Bay Lightning: What Went Wrong In Game 6?

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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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