Tampa Bay Lightning: 5 Things We Learned From Round 2
As the Tampa Bay Lightning prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, we take a look back at five things we learned from Round 2.
After tasting success at the highest level during the 2014-15 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew they wanted to feel that same sensation in the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately, the Lightning would have more than a few obstacles in their way to reaching their final destination.
There has been all manner of drama for the Lightning this season. The Bolts have dealt with everything from contract disputes to trade requests and, most of all, injuries. At one point in the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning had nine…yes, nine, players relegated to the sidelines with a variety of injuries.
Despite everything the hockey gods have put in the Lightning’s path, the Bolts were able to not only make their way into the postseason but earn home-ice advantage in the first two rounds as well. The Tampa Bay Lightning would go on to defeat both the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders respectively in just five games each. Now, the Lightning are headed to the Eastern Conference Final to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Before the Tampa Bay Lightning head north to the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for Game 1 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, we here at Bolts By The Bay are going to take a look back at Round 2 against the Islanders and review five things we learned from the series.
So, as well all get ready to throw on our favorite jerseys, paint our faces, and prepare to bring the Thunder louder than ever, let’s sit back for a moment and focus in on the things we learned and how we can implement them in the next round against the Pens.
Next: Be Prepared To Get Physical
Be Prepared For A Physical Game
One of the things the Tampa Bay Lightning learned from their second-round series against the New York Islanders is the Lightning is going to have to be prepared to step out of their comfort zone a little bit and play a much more physical style of hockey.
It is no secret the Tampa Bay Lightning are not exactly what one would refer to as one of the most physical teams in the league. While players like Victor Hedman and Andrej Sustr have more than their share of size, the Lightning have always relied on their incredible speed and tremendous puck handling skills to make their way to the top of the league.
As you can imagine, this is something the Lightning’s opponents are going to try and leverage against the team. This was made apparently clear by the New York Islanders.
Players like Travis Hamonic, Thomas Hickey, and Casey Cizikas took more than a little privilege when it came to lying questionable hits on some of the Lightning’s better players.
One incident that comes to mind almost immediately is the incident involving Tampa Bay Lightning rookie winger Jonathan Drouin and New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey. Drouin was attempting to play the puck along the boards when he was absolutely drilled in the head by Hickey. Drouin was forced to leave the game for the remainder of the period. Thankfully, he was able to rejoin his team on the bench at the start of the third period.
Judging by what we saw in the series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, the Penguins have no problem barreling into another player if it means they have an opportunity to get ahold of the puck and make a play on the net. The Lightning will need to be ready to give it back to the Penguins just as hard as they give it to us if the Bolts want to emerge from the next series victorious.
Next: Shoot the Puck, Hard and Often
Shoot the Puck, Hard and Often
If you are one of the millions of people who watch WWE each and every week, there is no doubt you have heard of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns. One of Reigns’ catchphrases us “Hit Hard, Hit Often.” This same motto applies to the game of hockey as well.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you are up against the most elite goaltender in the National Hockey League. An opposing goaltender can only be in so many places at one time. Of course, by that we mean the goaltender no matter how much a goaltender would like to try, they can only be in one place at any given time. If a team peppers the net with shot after shot, eventually, one of those shots is going to go in.
One of the worst habits the Tampa Bay Lightning fall into time and time again is passing the puck to Lightning captain Steven Stamkos when the player already had a clear shooting lane and could have (and probably should have) taken the shot themselves. Whether this is the product of habit or instruction, this is simply not conducive to a team who is looking to play for the most coveted trophy in all of the sporting world.
Ever since Steven Stamkos was sidelined with a blood clot which required vascular surgery to repair, a number of the Lightning’s younger players have stepped up in a big way. Nikita Kucherov has all but taken Stamkos’ place on the Lightning as their most clutch player. Kucherov has scored a whopping nine goals and three assists for a total of 12 points.
These numbers place Nikita Kucherov in first place in the National Hockey League in postseason goals. Nikita Kucherov is also second place in the NHL in plus/minus with a plus-11. The only name ahead of Kucherov’s on that list is his Triplets linemate, Tyler Johnson.
Two players on the Lightning’s current roster have crossed the 10 point mark in the postseason. Three more players are just one point shy of the aforementioned threshold. If the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to remain successful in the postseason and have another chance at raising Lord Stanley’s Cup high above their heads, they are going to have to continue to be aggressive with the puck and set the tone night in and night out.
Next: Consistency Is Key
Be Consistent
If there has been any particular issue that has been the bane of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s existence this season, it has been consistency. Either the Lightning will come out of the gate like a shot and for some reason let off the gas in the second, leaving the team to chase their tails in the third, or they will come out soft from the get go and spend the entire game chasing a lead.
Neither one of these situations will bode well for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final. Much like the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins are a high-octane team with plenty of snipers who can put the puck in the back of the net. While the Tampa Bay Lightning is just as dangerous in that aspect, they will have to find a happy medium if they want to win.
In the ideal situation, the Tampa Bay Lightning will come out of the tunnel and onto the ice strong, taking command of the pace of the game from the first puck drop. The next step will be to be the first team to put the puck in the back of the net. In the 10 games the Tampa Bay Lightning have played in the postseason, they are 8-2-0. Six of those wins have come when the Lightning have scored first.
From there, the Lightning will have to set a pace they can hold for an entire 60 minutes of hockey. The most glaring example of putting all of these things into motion had to be the way the Lightning played in Game 5 against the New York Islanders. When the Lightning implemented all of the aforementioned strategies, they were able to shut out the Islanders 4-0 and make their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to do everything within their power to throw the Lightning off their game from the start of the series. They will do whatever it takes, even if that means taking a run at Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, just to shake things up a little bit.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning can find a way to play the first four games against the Pens the way they did against the Islanders in Game 5, Tampa Bay Lightning fans may very well be looking at a repeat of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Penguins.
Next: Hit 'Em Where It Hurts The Most
Neutralize Their Lead Goal Scorer
If there was one thing that contributed to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success against the New York Islanders, it was the fact the Lightning were able to completely neutralize Islanders captain John Tavares and make him a complete non-factor in the series.
Over the course of the postseason, John Tavares was able to score six goals and five assists for a total of 11 points with a minus-3 rating. These numbers would place Tavares in fifth place in the National Hockey League in terms of goals scored. As most Tampa Bay Lightning fans already know, this is four places behind Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, the only point Tavares would score in the entire series against the Lightning would come in the form of a goal in the first game of the series. On the bright side, it was the game-winning goal. So, there’s that. Otherwise, Tavares was a complete non-issue for the remainder of the series.
As the Tampa Bay Lightning look forward to their Eastern Conference Final matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the player they will need to neutralize in this series is not quite who you would think. While Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is high on the list of players that need to be neutralized, the one player the Lightning must put a lid on is Penguins right wing, Phil Kessel.
Right now, Kessel leads the Penguins in both goals and overall points. Over the course of the postseason, Kessel has registered five goals and seven assists for a total of 12 points along with a plus-3 rating. Phil Kessel is a big part of the reason the Penguins were able to advance to the next round. In the Penguins final game against the Washington Capitals, Kessel scored two goals and an assist for a three-point night.
Now, don’t get things twisted. Sidney Crosby is still an incredibly dangerous sniper who the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to pay close attention to, but at the moment the stick of Phil Kessel is mighty hot and simply must be contained if the Lightning want to defeat the Penguins and move on to the Stanley Cup Final.
Next: Stay Out of the Sin Bin
Stay Out of the Penalty Box
There is no denying the Tampa Bay Lightning’s penalty kill has been on fire over the course of the postseason. Since the first puck dropped to kick off the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s penalty kill have only allowed five goals while shorthanded out of the 43 times the Lightning have had a player in the sin bin for whatever infraction they may have committed.
The only two teams in the postseason with a better penalty kill percentage than the Tampa Bay Lightning is the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals respectively, both of which have already been eliminated from contention. Unfortunately, no matter how great the Lightning’s penalty kill have been thus far, no player on the ice is infallible.
If the Lightning continue to take unnecessary penalties, they are going to end up on the business end of an upset. This is something the Tampa Bay Lightning can ill afford at this point in the game. All it takes is one simple mistake to find yourself eliminated from the postseason. Just ask the New York Islanders.
As the Tampa Bay Lightning prepares to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, it should be noted that the Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the most dangerous power play units in the National Hockey League. Since the start of the postseason, the Penguins have scored 11 power play goals on 40 opportunities for a power play percentage of 27.5. This places them in 3rd place in the league.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in all three encounters they had over the course of the regular season, but once the puck drops to start the postseason, all the accolades of the regular season become a thing of the past and the intensity reaches a new high. If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to remain successful and move on to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, they’ll need to be especially mindful of the penalties they take and where they take them.
Next: Victor Hedman Has Become A Veritable Force For Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not have home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals given the fact the Penguins finished in a higher position than the Bolts in the regular season. This means the Lightning will have to kick things off deep in enemy territory. The good news is, the Lightning have proven this season that whether they are here in the Sunshine State or on the road, they know exactly how to get the job done.