Kirk Irwin/NHLI via Getty Images
From
2014-15 to 2021-22, the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoyed a dominant streak
few other NHL clubs can match in the salary-cap era. They reached the
Stanley Cup Final four times, winning hockey’s holy grail twice. They
also won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2018-19 with 62 wins and 128
points.
Since
2020, however, the Lightning’s roster has been steadily depleted as
salary-cap constraints led to the departures of key players via free
agency or cost-cutting trades. Ondřej Palát, Tyler Johnson, Alex
Johnson, Carter Verhaeghe, Yanni Gourde, and Pat Maroon were the most
notable to go, along with Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev last
summer.
That
dwindling depth took its toll over the last two seasons as they
failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. This
season, they’re one point out of the final
wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with 22 points in 19 games.
Scoring
hasn’t been an issue for the Lightning, sitting fifth overall with
a goals-per-game average of 3.58. Keeping the puck out of their net,
however, is another matter, as their 3.05 goals-against per game is
in the middle of the pack in the 32-team league.
Their
special teams’ play also needs work. They’re 14th
in power-play percentage (20.3) while their penalty-killing (76.3)
sit 22nd
overall.
On Nov. 23, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times observed the Bolts’ tendency to pass up shots on net for an extra pass during the club’s 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Encina called it a “familiar trap” that has proven costly against tight-checking opponents like the Stars. Lighting coach Jon Cooper said his team is overcomplicating an uncomplicated game.
The
Lightning still have plenty of experienced leadership and talent in
players like captain Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point
to remain a playoff contender. Cooper is also a savvy coach who
should be able to get his players to simplify their game. But if they
don’t, they could find themselves struggling to nail down a playoff
berth.
Read the full article here
