Tampa Bay Lightning Determined To Advance In Game 7

The Tampa Bay Lightning has a date with destiny as they head into Madison Square Garden for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has a date with destiny waiting in front of them. At this point, there is only one thing standing in between our Boys in Blue and this date with destiny; the New York Rangers.

Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning heads into Madison Square Garden in the hopes of punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. No matter which way you look at this situation or on which side of the ice your allegiances lie, this is going to be one of the best games of the post season.

At this point and time, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers have no other option than to leave it all out on the ice. When the final buzzer sounds one of these two teams will be heading to the Stanley Cup Finals to face either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Anaheim Ducks for the privilege of hoisting the greatest trophy in all of sports; the Stanley Cup.

Given the amount of missteps in Game 6, the Tampa Bay Lightning has quite a few things they will have to tighten up on if they want to fulfill their destiny and advance to the Final Round.

Start Out Strong
Keep The Pressure On (Be Consistent)
Stay Out Of The Penalty Box
Stay Defensive
Protect Ben Bishop

As usual, let’s take a closer look at these points and see how each of them will have a positive or negative effect on the outcome of tonight’s Game 7 matchup.

Start Out Strong

One of the fatal flaws in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s performance on Tuesday night is the fact that the New York Rangers came out of the gate hard and took control of the pace of the game very early. This is something that the Lightning can ill afford in Game 7.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to punch their ticket to the next round and come home to Hockey Paradise with a whole new schedule in front of them they are going to have to come right out of the tunnel on the offensive and strike that ever-so-important first blood.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has a pretty stellar record (8-0-0) when they score first. While we will assert that each game is its own and that anything can happen when the puck hits the ice, there is no denying that those are some pretty positive numbers to be looking at.

Consistency Is Key

This brings us to the next item on our list, consistency. This is the one word in the English dictionary that has seemed to be the bane of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s existence this season. Either the team will come out of the gate strong and have a weak second period, or they will be lax early and play catch up all game long.

This is not something that the Lightning can afford when coming up against a team like the New York Rangers who are just as hungry for their position in the battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup. As we said before, the Lightning will need to come out of the gate with fire and passion and keep that same fire burning for a full 60 minutes.

Considering what we have witnessed over the course of this series, and the ones that came before it, this could be one of the keys that could make or break the Lightning in tonight’s encounter.

Stay Out Of The Penalty Box

There are no words that can accurately express the importance of this particular key to the game. We have spoken at length about the differences between necessary and unnecessary penalties. While we completely understand that some things simply cannot be avoided, but the key lies in knowing the difference.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning fell prey to unnecessary penalties in Game 6 on Tuesday night it eventually came around to bite them in the behind when Rick Nash sunk the puck in the back of the net while on the Power Play and gave the Rangers a 6-2 lead.

As we have said a million times before, if a team continually opens the door there will come a time when their opponent will come crashing through it and slam the door behind them. Considering the fact that this is a winner-take-all game for both teams, this is something that can be ill-afforded.

Stay Defensive

It has been said more than once that the best defense is a good offense. While there is a lot of merit to be found in that statement, there is also a time when you just need a good, solid defense. Tonight is one of those nights.

When push comes to shove, the Lightning are going to need their defense to be both defensive-minded and offensively defensive in tonight’s encounter. This means that they will need to be the same hard-hitting defensemen that we have come to know and love, but they will also need to play the puck and be offensive.

Defensemen like Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman seem to have a handle on this. Hedman leads the Lightning defensemen in points with 1 goal and 9 assists for a total of 10 points to accompany his plus-10 rating. Right behind him is Stralman with 1 goal and 6 assists for a total of 7 points with a plus-2 rating.

Also, the defense will really need to step it up in front of the net. While the goaltender is in fact the last line of defense between the other team and the back of the net, if the defense can keep the other team away from the net then the goaltender can take a momentary breather once in a while.

Not that we want Ben Bishop napping at any point, but you get where we are going with this.

Protect Ben Bishop

This brings us to our final key to tonight’s game; protecting Ben Bishop. Now, at 6’7” tall Ben Bishop is not exactly someone who you would traditionally think would be in need of protection, but unless Bishop magically grows another 2-4 arms in the next couple of hours, he cannot be everywhere at once.

Bishop is going to be relying on the players in front of him to provide a barrier between him and the opposition, but when all else fails, we have faith that Big Ben will be there to make the save. Before you begin to speak at length about the bad game Bishop had on Tuesday night, we will be the first to remind you that even the best goaltenders to ever have lived played a bad game every now and then.

Bishop makes no excuses for his performance in Game 6, and is confident that this is all behind them and that the team’s focus remains on the task at hand and that they will not disappoint.

If you sit back for a moment and think about the way that the Tampa Bay Lightning has played this season, even in a loss there is nothing to be disappointed in. The Bolts have had a fantastic season thus far and a win in tonight’s Game 7 matchup would only further the legacy they leave behind this season.

We don’t know about you, but we have a feeling that we are going to see a different team take the ice at Madison Square Garden tonight. Considering what we have been reading between yesterday and today, it seems as if the flu bug that had been plaguing the team has begun to pass and we will see more of the Lightning team we have come to expect this season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may be thousands of miles away at Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple, but in a do-or-die situation like this one, the Lightning are going to need their Thunder now more than ever.

We are calling on each and every one of you here in the Bolts Nation to don your favorite Lightning gear with pride and wherever you choose to take in tonight’s festivities that you scream loud and proud for your Tampa Bay Lightning. Are you ready to Be The Thunder tonight when the puck drops on Game 7? We know we are!

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning: What Went Wrong In Game 6?