Tampa Bay Lightning needs to keep their feet on the gas against Anaheim Ducks

The Tampa Bay Lightning looks to capture their 5th consecutive win as they take on a Western Conference opponent, the Anaheim Ducks.

There is absolutely no denying it, the Tampa Bay Lightning have exceeded everyone’s expectations and has had a tremendous start to their 25^th Anniversary Season. The Lightning is leading the way in the NHL Standings right now, as well as covering the league’s leaderboard in Lightning blue.

It’s true, after the Lightning’s continued dominance of the Detroit Red Wings in Thursday night’s 3-2 victory; the Bolts definitely have momentum on their side. However, if the Lightning doesn’t want their momentum (and their win streak) to come to a screeching halt, they must keep their feet on the gas tonight.

The Lightning is set to take on the Anaheim Ducks in an East vs. West showdown at the Amalie Arena. Needless to say, the Ducks have their feathers all ruffled right now and will be looking for a serious dose of redemption tonight. On Thursday night, the Ducks were on the business end of a soul-shattering 8-3 annihilation at the hands of the Lightning’s in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers.

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Anytime the Tampa Bay Lightning have been put in this situation, which we truly have yet to experience this season, the Bolts have come down the tunnel ready to fire on all cylinders and get themselves back on the right track. This is the very same inspiration the Lightning will be up against tonight.

There are a few keys to a victory tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. Thankfully, many of them are well within the grasp of the Bolts; especially when it comes to the offense.

Be Aggressive with the Puck

This one is pretty much a no-brainer and something the Tampa Bay Lightning have well under control. Front and center are the Lightning’s new dynamic duo, captain Steven Stamkos and forward Nikita Kucherov.

Kucherov leads the NHL in goals with 12 while Stamkos leads the league in assists and points with 17 and 21 respectively. If these two, in addition to their linemate Vladislav Namestnikov, who has gone wildly under-recognized this season, can keep firing on all cylinders, it’s going to be hunting season for the Bolts.

Another Lightning player who has been lighting things up this season is forward Brayden Point. Point is currently in third place on the team in overall points, having brought home five goals and seven assists for a total of 12 points alongside a plus-5 rating. Point is so incredibly fast and has an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time to make a simple play turn into something magical.

As we have said many times before, even the most elite goaltender can only be in so many places at one time. If the Lightning continues to pepper the Ducks with shots, and consistently control possession of the puck, there will be no stopping them as they barrel through their opponent.

Be Sharp on Defense

Much like the goaltending position, the Lightning has struggled greatly on the defense side of things for many seasons. At this point, we won’t be calling out the players who need to spend more time in the press box (you know who you are); This is another story for another day.

However, we will go on to point out which players have been doing an amazing job thus far. Needless to say, the first player to come to mind is Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. In addition to his defensive duties, Sergachev also leads all rookies in the NHL in both goals and points.

In the 11 games he’s played this season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sergachev has brought home four goals and six assists for a total of 10 points. At this point, his numbers top players like defenseman Victor Hedman, who finished off last season in second place on the team in terms of overall points.

If that’s not saying something, we don’t know what is.

Another player who has been sharp on the defense this season is Slater Koekkoek. Koekkoek scored his first two NHL goals on October 12 in the Lightning’s 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, as of late, he has been spending a lot of time in the good old “healthy scratch” roll.

This has left many Tampa Bay Lightning fans scratching their heads. It almost seems as if Koekkoek will have to solve world hunger and achieve world peace before he is allowed back into the Lightning lineup. It’s never good for a talented player to sit the bench and collect rust. Hopefully, the tides will turn and he will soon be brought back into the lineup and allowed to work his on-ice mojo once again.

Stay Out of the Penalty Box

Allow us to preface this a little before we dig too deep into the topic. Yes, there is such a thing as “necessary penalties.” When an opponent takes a run at one of your teammates, or your goaltender for that matter, it is the job of the other members of the team to step up to the plate and quickly put a stop to these shenanigans.

At the same time, you have to be mindful of where the team is in the game and how this penalty could potentially affect the team, be it positively or negatively. True, these are usually split-second decisions, but once you’ve been in the league long enough, these feelings start to come as second nature.

Now, back to where we started. On Thursday night, the Lightning couldn’t seem to stay out of the penalty box to save their lives. Yes, some of them were soft calls, but if you’ve watched how hard the NHL has been cracking down on things like Slashing, Hooking, and the other minor penalties, you have to be that much more cautious when you’re out on the ice.

Granted, the Lightning’s special teams has been tremendous so far this season; however, this is not an invitation to give their opponents more opportunities with the man-advantage. Even the best players falter from time to time, and teams cannot expect their special teams to bail them out 100 percent of the time.

The Anaheim Ducks have experienced a challenging start to the season. Coming into tonight’s contest the Ducks carry a 4-4-1 record. As one could easily imagine, no teams want the second number to become greater than the first. This means they will work that much harder to make a name for themselves. What better way to do this than defeating the most powerful team in the league at the moment?

The Tampa Bay Lightning has everything they need in order to be victorious at this stage in the game. A majority of their players have remained healthy (knock on wood), the offense is firing on all cylinders, and while there have been a few gaps in the defense, the Bolts have been able to adjust and make things work.

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If the Lightning can play a consistent 60 minutes of hockey, there is no doubt in our minds tonight is going to be an exciting night of hockey. We don’t know about you, but those of us here at Bolts By The Bay are ready to throw on our favorite jerseys, march in the Amalie Arena, and show the Anaheim Ducks fans how we do things here in the Bolts Nation. How about you?