The Tampa Bay Lightning needs to prove their victory over the Chicago Blackhawks was not a flash in the pan by keeping momentum on their side against the Florida Panthers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning played incredibly well as they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at the United Center on Tuesday night. Now, the Lightning faces a particularly difficult challenge. Surprisingly enough, it’s not the team the Lightning are facing as much as what a victory would mean for the team.
Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning makes their way into the BB&T Center in Sunrise to take on their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. Why is this game so important, you may ask? Well, this encounter will be a rather telling one for the Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans.
A victory tonight over the Florida Panthers would not only help the Lightning gain some much-needed ground in the Atlantic Division, but it would also show the hockey world their win over the Chicago Blackhawks was so much more than a flash in the pan.
Right now, there is a single point separating the Lightning from the Panthers. Should the Bolts secure a regulation victory tonight in Sunrise, they will leapfrog over the Panthers and make their way into fifth place in the Atlantic Division. This may not seem like a lot, but the Bolts are at the point in the season where every little point counts.
The Florida Panthers are coming into tonight’s game in the midst of a four-game losing streak. As you can imagine, when a team finds themselves in a position like this, desperation starts to kick in and a team soon finds a way to do anything necessary to secure a victory.
The Lightning has been in this position many times this season and should be fully aware of the situation staring them in the face tonight. The real question will be how they respond to the adversity.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson has some really hot hands right now. In Tuesday night’s game against the Blackhawks, Johnson secured not one, but two goals within 30 seconds of one another. The first of these two goals would eventually serve to be the game winner.
Tyler Johnson got a slow start to the season, which drew the ire of many Tampa Bay Lightning fans. Thankfully, Johnson has proven once again he has earned his right to one of the top spots on the team. Johnny has picked up three goals and an assist for a total of four points in his last five games.
Still leading the way for the team in terms of goals and overall points is Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has brought home 18 goals and 25 assists for a total of 43 points so far this season.
Unfortunately, his production has waned a bit over the course of the last five games. Tonight, he finds himself presented with a chance to get back on track and help the Lightning dig themselves out of the dark hole the find themselves trapped in right now.
On the other side of the ice, there are three players the Lightning needs to be particularly mindful of as they head into the Panther den tonight. The first and foremost of those players is their leading goal scorer and points leader, Vincent Trocheck.
Trocheck has played in all 49 games with the Panthers so far this season. In that amount of time, Trocheck has amassed 18 goals and 15 assists for a total of 33 points.
The second player the Lightning need to be mindful of tonight should be no stranger to the Boys in Blue. This player is none other than former Lightning forward Jonathan Marchessault. If there was ever a player who could be considered “the one who got away,” it would be Marchessault.
Marchessault has played in 42 games so far this season. In that amount of time, the former Lightning forward has brought home 13 goals and 17 assists for a total of 30 points. This places Jonathan Marchessault in second place on the team in overall points.
Now, the third person on the aforementioned list of players the Lightning should be mindful of in tonight’s encounter comes as more of a two-for-one. These two players are Jaromir Jagr and Keith Yandle. Both Jagr and Yandle lead the team in assists with 20. What separates these two are a mere handful of goals.
Jagr finds himself in third place on the team in overall points. Add nine goals to his 20 assists so far this season and it brings you to 29 points. Not far behind Jagr is Keith Yandle, with three goals and 20 assists for a total of 23 points.
Jaromir Jagr is pretty self-explanatory. Jagr is a beast, plain and simple. At 44-years-old, he continues to play like some half his age and has the experience of someone who has been in the league for 23 seasons. Then, you have Yandle. Keith Yandle is dangerous on the Power Play. Considering the difficulty the Lightning penalty kill has had lately, this could be a very bad thing for the Bolts.
Now, according to Tampa Bay Lightning hockey reporter Caley Chelios, Lightning fans can expect to see Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes tonight in Sunrise. Prior to Tuesday night’s victory over the Blackhawks, Vasilevskiy had dropped his last six starts. He definitely has a lot to prove tonight against the Panthers.
When you stop and think about the bigger picture, the Lightning’s task in Sunrise tonight is a simple one. The team needs to be aggressive with the puck, set the tone of the game early, play a consistent 60 minutes of hockey, and ensure the defense works just as hard as the netminder to keep the puck out of the back of the net.
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If the Tampa Bay Lightning can secure a victory against the Florida Panthers tonight, there may still be a chance of salvaging their season. Come home empty handed, and it may be time to start looking towards the 2017-18 season and what we can do to rebuild this ailing team. The decision is in the hands of those on the ice.