Tampa Bay Lightning: 5 Things We Learned From Round 2
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