The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to overcome their defensive challenges in order to be successful against the surging Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
The Tampa Bay Lightning split their season-opening back-to-back series with their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. Opening night was an exciting experience, but the second half of the back-to-back series was less than stellar. If the Lightning wants to get back on the right track, they will have to get back to basics.
One of the Lightning’s biggest weaknesses on Saturday night was their turnovers. On more than one occasion, a bad turnover would lead to Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy being peppered with shots. At the end of the day, as fans learned when former Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop was between the pipes, even the best goaltenders in the game can only be so many places at one time.
Another key to the Lightning’s success will be the defense’s ability to control the play of Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals have played just as many games as the Lightning so far this season and Ovechkin has already notched a whopping seven goals.
Tampa Bay Lightning
It should come as no surprise; these numbers elevate Ovechkin to first place in the league in both goals and overall points. On the other side of the ice, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has already faced 84 shots against, allowing a total of eight goals. This is going to create an interesting dynamic tonight.
The simple fact of the matter is the Lightning is going to have to be much better defensively if they are going to contain the offensive power of the Capitals. While Ovechkin is definitely leading the way for the Capitals, the thing people sometimes overlook is the rest of the forwards on the team. We know, sounds silly, right?
Right now, there are only five players in the Capitals lineup who have yet to score a point. One of the many players in their lineup who has scored points in the first two games of the season should be a rather familiar face to Lightning fans. Former Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brett Connolly will be making his way back to the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, this time he enters the Amalie Arena in the wrong color.
Now, don’t think for one single second that things are all doom and gloom for Bolts. Offensively, the Lightning has had a pretty solid start to the season. Leading the way for the Lightning is forward Brayden Point. Point has had an amazing start to the season, scoring two goals and three assists in two games.
Right behind Point in overall points for the Lightning is captain Steven Stamkos. The 27-year-old captain has brought home four assists so far this season. This is a pretty good start for someone who spent almost the entire 2016-17 season on the sidelines with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
Another Lightning player who’s had a pretty good start to the season is forward Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has netted two goals and an assist in the first two games of the season, placing him in a three-way tie with forwards Ondrej Palat and Vladislav Namestnikov for third place on the team in overall points.
More From Bolts By The Bay: EA Sports Predicts Tampa Bay Lightning To Win The Stanley Cup
Kucherov definitely carried a bulk of the load last season when a good portion of the team was sidelined with injuries. It’s definitely nice to see things being much more spread out among the players this season. Here’s hoping the team can stay healthy and continue to build some much-needed chemistry.
Being completely honest, if the current trend continues, the Capitals are going to be an insanely difficult team to play against this season. The Tampa Bay Lightning are definitely going to have to bring their “A” game if they want to bring home a victory against the Caps.
The good news is, the team has had a day to rest after their back-to-back season-opening series. Hopefully, this has given the time to not only rest but focus their minds on the task at hand.
Next: Steven Stamkos Looking To Get Back On His Own Level
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Amalie Arena in the heart of Downtown Tampa. If you’re heading to the game, make sure you’re ready to Bring The Thunder and show the Washington Capitals how we do it here in the Sunshine State.