Five Things The Tampa Bay Lightning Need To Do To Get Back On Track

Oct 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) shoots on goal as Colorado Avalanche center Carl Soderberg (34) defends during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

5. Kick Up The Intensity

We have all been to those hockey games when the Tampa Bay Lightning come out of the gate like a tornado ready to wreak havoc on every single thing that stands in its way to victory, only to have the team fall flat on their face in the second period and somehow finding a way to come out on the losing end of the stick after having a three-goal lead.

At the same time, the Tampa Bay Lightning has also had those games where they would be sluggish and almost downright disinterested in the first period, only to come out after the first intermission like someone had stuck a firecracker up their backsides and were ready to take on the world over the course of the next 40 minutes of play.

While these circumstances may not be an everyday occurrence, it does happen a lot more than any fan in the Bolts Nation would like to admit. If the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be successful this season, they are going to have to kick their on-ice intensity up a notch. In addition to this, they need to find a comfortable pace they can maintain for 60 minutes of hockey and not die out somewhere right around the middle.

The Tampa Bay Lightning is stacked with some of the most talented players in the National Hockey League. Our captain, Steven Stamkos, is a two-time Rocket Richard winner and a two-time NHL All-Star. In addition to Stamkos, the Triplets (Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat) absolutely dominated the NHL last season and accounted for almost 1/3 of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s total points in the 2014-15 season.

When you have this much offensive firepower at your disposal, there is absolutely no reason the team can’t make like award-winning chef Emeril Lagasse and kick it up a notch on the ice and maintain for a full 60 minutes of play.

Next: 4. Keep Your Eyes On The Puck