A strong December raises hope for Bolts fans
After the Bolts went 8-2 through the first 10 games of December, fan excitement increased and so did their power ranking on many sites. The Lightning had seemed to have found their groove. Over that stretch they allowed three goals twice (both games they still won) and four goals in a loss to the Panthers. Every other game, they kept their opponent to two or less goals, a surefire recipe for success. The defense was playing well and the offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring four or more goals in seven of those ten games.
Offense struggles in four-game losing streak
Since then, the Bolts have dropped their last four games (all in one week) and tanked all the good will they'd previously built up. This week saw them allow five goals against the Habs, four against the Ducks, and two more low scoring losses against the Kings and Sharks. They scored five goals total over that four game stretch. Their position in the standings has taken a hit, falling from third to fourth and only one point ahead of Montreal.
Maybe we can chalk it up to a tough California road trip, hopefully. The Bolts are 11-6-1 in Amalie Arena, but only 9-9-1 in enemy territory. They're back at home tonight where they will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. It's only January so I hesitate to say that the game is a must win, but the Lightning would really like to get back on the right side of the win loss column and get headed in the right direction again.
The Canes' recent struggles give Lightning fans hope
Luckily, the once-scorching-hot Hurricanes have also experienced a decline in success, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. They’ve also watched Martin Necas, who was the leading scorer in the NHL, fall all the way down to 13th in points. It’s important to note that the Canes are only 9-9-2 on the road, compared to their strong 15-5-0 record at home. Playing this game in Amalie Arena could give the Bolts the boost they need to get over the hump.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely get the start in net tonight and the puck will drop at 7:00 PM EST.