One is the Loveliest Number

Let me start by saying this is not a traditional recap.  After all, how can anyone recap a game without actually watching it.  I love my job, but it is highly inconvenient to watching playoff hockey.  And while there are others out there that have a slightly higher work ethic, even I know that streaming a hockey game in the middle of the lobby while there are still 300 people left to check-in isn’t the best way to get a raise.

Checking in on the score via NHL.com in between grabbing luggage for guests and directing all the priests in Chicago to the parking garage is a much more feasible way to know what’s happening and keeping my job. So consider this more of my thoughts and observations of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game One.

It’s always nice to get the first win out of the way, especially when you have home-ice advantage in a series.  Now they aren’t chasing anything in Game Two, and the Red Wings might play a little more desperate in trying for the split. The Lightning won by the way the Lightning have won a lot of games this season.  Ben Bishop stopped enough pucks and Nikita Kucherov scored all of the goals.  Well not all of them, but enough to win.

The reconfigured Triplets…more of a Cousins…line with Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn played the role of top line to perfection.  They generated all three goals and looked dangerous throughout the entire game.  MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV continues his quest to jump several tax brackets by scoring two goals and chipping in an assist.  Killorn scored the game winner on a nifty deflection while Johnson, concussed or not, looked like the Tyler Johnson of last year’s playoffs which doesn’t bode well for the Red Wings.

Moving Killorn to that line allowed Coach Cooper to drop Ondrej Palat to a line with Valtteri Filppula Jonathan Drouin.  While they didn’t record a point, they did generate some opportunities and looked like a viable offensive alternative.  Palat is the best two-way forward on the team and his play allows Drouin and Filppula to be their creative selves.

Speaking of Drouin, let’s get this out of the way.  If the Drouin that played 17 minutes against the Red Wings had played that way all season long he would not have been sent to Syracuse and then banished to his couch for part of the season.  This Drouin was much more aggressive (as seen by his cross-checking penalty and the hit he threw on Justin Abdelkader right before Abdelkader scored his goal.

That is part of what was lacking in his game.  He had a tendency to coast a bit and play reactionary hockey as opposed to asserting himself on the ice.  He doesn’t need to go full Doug Glatt, but he does have to show that he isn’t going to be pushed around the ice.  As Coach Cooper said in the post game presser, he earned those minutes on the ice.

Solid game by the Prodigal Son. Photo by Getty Images

My favorite moment of his was in the second period where he blocked a pass in the defensive zone, found himself on the open side of the defenseman at the blue line and took off like he was shot out of a cannon on a partial breakaway. Instead of looking for a pass he hesitated, drew the puck back and snapped a shot just wide of the net.  It showed his skill, his speed and a desire to score instead of setting up a teammate.

I did manage to watch part of the game on my dinner break (part of watching sports while working second shift is knowing when to schedule your meals).  I managed to get about 15 minutes of the second period in so I saw both Detroit goals, Kucherov’s game-tying goal, the afore mentioned Drouin play, and the little dust up in front of the Red Wings’ goal that led to a few penalties.

These teams are starting to not like each other very much.  This is what the NHL was looking for when they restructured the playoff format.  The Lightning and the Red Wings have now met in consecutive playoff years.  Last years series went 7 games and they split the regular season this year.  Bad blood is starting to develop and started to boil up at the 11:42 mark of the second period.

After the embattled Jimmy Howard made a save, Killorn was cruising by the net when 19-year-old Dylan Larkin thought he was getting a little two close and went to shoulder him out of the way. The young Red Wing didn’t take into consideration Killorn being a Harvard Man.  Using his knowledge of leverage and force, the Lightning forward dumped the rookie on his ass. Larkin’s teammates took exception and a good ol’ fashion scrm broke out.  I’ve read recaps from both sides of the aisle, Red Wing fans thought it was dirty, Lightning fans through it was just hockey.  I tend to lean toward the Lightning side of this one.  It happens every game. Larkin just went flying off his skates and it looked worse than it was.

The dust eventually settled and no one was worse the wear for it. Braydon Coburn managed to pick up two roughing calls at the same time (one against Darren Helm and one against Danny DeKeyser) which is awesome hustle. All of the penalties off set and they skated five on five.  But for the rest of the game both teams were on edge.

It’s nice to see the Lightning play with some anger in their game, but to quote Forest Whitaker in Rouge One, “If you continue to fight, what…will…you…become?”  The Lightning do not want to turn this into a special team’s battle.  They will lose that match-up.  Frustrating the Red Wings is one thing (hell Detroit has been doing it for years), taking stupid penalties is another.  Give a team like them enough opportunities and they will make you pay.

BRAYDON SMASH!!! Solid game from #55 Photo by Getty

While it was a little discouraging to see the Lightning get outshot in the first and second periods by a combined 26-20, it was nice that Tampa Bay tightened things up in the third and for the most part carried the play.  They also bounced back from giving up two quick goals and having a go-ahead goal wiped out by an off-side review. (Let the record show that the Lightning scored the first 3-on-3 overtime goal this year AND had the first video replay in playoff history go against them)

This is how the Lightning are going to win the series. By scoring ugly goals (Kucherov’s second was a result of him standing in front of the net and banging away at a rebound) and getting 30+ saves from Ben Bishop.  It’s not good for anyone’s health, but that’s the way it has to be.

The Hopeful Chase’s Three Stars:

3. Victor Hedman - The Big Swede played 26 minutes, had a game-winning goal wiped out by replay and was his usual calm, smooth-skating self.  Damn he’s fun to watch.

2. Ben Bishop - Another day and another 34-save game.  His stop on Brad Richards with the Lightning down 2-1 in the second was my key play of the game. If he doesn’t lunge across the crease and stop that shot, the Lightning don’t win.

1. MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV - Two goals and an assist.  His cap hit this year was $711,666.  His cap hit next year will be quite larger.

My next contract is going to be this big! Photo by Getty Images

Did Matt Carle Get a Point?

Nope.  He did dish out 3 hits and take one shot in his 16:17 of ice time.  That seems about right for him in the playoffs.  Coach Cooper did a pretty good job of balancing out his blue line.  Hedman and Jason Garrison were the only two that topped 20 minutes, but every one else was between 12 and 18 minutes.

It's NOT A Major Award! Mid Season Lightning Report

We’ve made it to the halfway point of the Lightning’s season and I’ve managed to write about them all of twice. But seeing how I’ve apparently only written four articles (yes I count the one at Raw Charge) since the hockey season has begun, at least the percentages are pretty good.  Really, four posts since October?  I am so sorry loyal readers (Hi Mom and Dad!).  I will resolve to write more. After all, I can’t really write less, eh? As a reward for your patience - let’s hand out some awards! Welcome to the 1st Annual Mid-Season Random Lightning Awards column.

Before we hand out the hardware let’s take a pulse on the team’s season. After 41 games they find themselves tied at the top of the Atlantic conference with Montreal. Granted the Canadiens have played in two fewer contests, but for now the only thing that matters is points and both teams have 54 of them. Which is one more than the mumps-ridden Penguins and the surprising New York Islanders.  All-in-all the Lightning are holding up to the pre-season predictions many folks had for them.

Despite my lack of writing, I have actually been following the team closer than in recent years (thank you NHL Game Center) and have even managed to get to a game or two in other cities.  Based on many, many hours of watching this team I’ve come to one conclusion - this is a fun team to watch.

As a long time Lightning fan I’ve seen teams of the past barely able to string together two successful passes, let alone any kind of coherent offensive plan, it is so delightful to watch a team that, on most nights, is decidedly better at putting the puck in the net than most of the other teams that they line up against. (Congratulations, you just made it through the first run-on sentence of 2015).

This team is an amazing team to watch on transition.  Other than the Blackhawks, I would venture that no one can switch from defense to offense more efficiently than the Bolts. And while their fondness for cross-ice passes tends to get them in trouble from time to time, when they are clicking they are one of the prettiest teams to watch play hockey. Even Link, who has spent his life watching Pittsburgh teams with the like of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jaromir Jagr, Milan Kraft and Mario Lemieux play was impressed with the Lightning’s offense.

A team has to be fun when Steven Stamkos can’t crack the top line. Almost as  fun to read/hear people wonder what’s “wrong” with Stamkos since he only has 21 goals.  Granted, his projected 42 goals would be the fewest he’s scored in an 82 games season since his rookie year, but 40+ goals is nothing to sneeze at.

Part of the reason it seems like a down year for the former Sarnia Sting Sniper (first unnecessary alliteration of the year!) is that whatever line he has been playing on has constantly been overshadowed by the Triplets. Or #ThatLine. Or #ThatTripletLine. Or the #TKOLine or #TheBestLineInHockey.  Whatever you want to call them, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV (MBNK) have simply been dominant when on the ice together.

The Russian, who bounced around on a couple of different lines to begin the season, has found a home with his fellow Syracuse alumni. They each fill a specific role: Tyler - The Creator, Ondrej - The Net Front Presence and MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV - the Shooter. They are all gifted with speed and a sense of knowing where the others are on the ice as evidenced by the Kucherov fake-slapshot-pass to Johnson in the Ottawa game Sunday night.

"We're The Three Best Friends Anyone Could Have"

MBNK is third on the team in shots despite averaging almost 5 minutes less than the leader Stamkos and  3 minutes less than the second place player Johnson.  So everyone in the building and everyone watching was 100% certain that when he got the puck in the slot he was going to unload a cannon on the Ottawa goalie.  Yet, despite bringing his stick back to maximum slapshot height he managed to torque it so that he sent an ankle high pass across the ice (because that’s what they do!) to Johnson, who swiftly knocked it down and into a wide open net.

Where was Palat on the play? In front of the net screening Robin Lehner, of course.  Each has their role and they’ve each played it to perfection so far.  Which leaves their opponents with a match up question. Do you stick your best defensive players out against the Lightning’s best line (Johnson, Palat, MBNK) or against their best player (Stamkos).  Because you can throw Matt Carle and a bag of pucks on Stamkos’ line and he’s still going to score 35 goals every season. Having that option is one of the reasons the Lightning can go on the road and still keep scoring.  They are not restricted to just one line.  Heck, depending on the night the so-called 3rd line is going to either have their best offensive prospect (Jonathan Drouin) or the player with the best hands/vision on the team in Valtteri Filppula.

Throw in a defense that not only is doing better at stopping pucks from going in (12th in the league in goals against), but knows how to get it on net as well (Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison all have 14 or more assists) and things are looking bright for the second half.

But I’ve droned on enough about the team, let’s get to the awards.  So without anymore accolades or delay here are The Hopeful Chase Mid-season Awards for the Tampa Bay Lightning:

The What ‘Cha Talkin’ About Sophomore Slump Award: Tyler Johnson

He narrowly beats out fellow Calder Finalist Ondrej Palat simply because he’s been healthier. One of the questions going into the season would be how the Young Guns would perform in their second season and I think the answer is - not that bad.

The It Seemed Like it Was a Good Idea at the Time Award: Evgeni Nabakov

Look, he hasn’t been as bad as Twitter would make it seem. His goals against is under 3. During the Mike Smith-era we would have built him a statue for those kind of numbers, but if Ben Bishop is ever seriously injured I don’t think Nabokov is going to be the answer. Which leads to….

The Every Time He Goes Down I Say a Little Prayer That He Gets Back Up Award: Ben Bishop

Not something we ever, ever want to see again

The big net minder beats out Ryan Callahan by the width of an ant’s hair on this one.  Let’s face it, should Bishop break himself the options are Nabokov and rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy or Vasilevskiy and Nabokov or Vasilevskiy and other rookie Kristers Gudlevskis.  While all of those options are better than Anders Lindback I don’t want to have to test them down the stretch run.

The Shouldn’t He Suck Or Be Hurt Now That He Signed a Big Contract Award: Ryan Callahan

"Whooooa I GOTS PAID!"

Hey, Ryan Callahan has played in 36 of the 41 games so far! If he plays in 10 more games then that will be the most he’s played in a season since 2011-12. Better yet, he’s been pretty good while he’s been on the ice. Twelve goals and thirty points while mostly causing havoc in front of the net on Stamkos’ line. This is the Callahan that General Manager Yzerman was looking for when he signed him to the six-year deal this off-season.

The Maybe He Is Who We Thought He Is Award: Ben Bishop

The second award for the big guy.  There was a lot of talk at the end of last year about Bishop perhaps being a bit “lucky” or that he couldn’t sustain his play. After all the Lightning were the third team he’d played for in four seasons.  Well, it seems that if he’s riding a lucky streak it’s sustained itself for this season as well. His numbers are down a bit (2.37 GAA vs. 2.23 and .911 Save Percentage vs. .924) but it’s not like he’s fallen off of a cliff. He’s still capable of stealing a game or three and despite the occasional soft goal he’s kept the Lightning in games long enough for their offense to catch up.

The Charlie Brown You’re the Charlie Browniest Award:  Matt Carle.

Sometime this week I’m going to write a whole article about Matt Carle. I really, really do like him as a player, but man….sometimes he does boggle the mind.  Let’s play fill in the blank.   _______ fired a pass up the middle of his own zone that was picked off and led to a 2-0 against his own goalie.  _______ bounces a pass off of Radko Gudas past his own goalie from center ice.  The first name that pops into your head is Matt Carle isn’t it?  I know the second one was from last season, but still….

The Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio Award:  Radko Gudas and the Radko Gudas hipcheck

Maybe it’s a good thing.  Maybe he’s a better positional player now that he isn’t RADKO-SMASH on the ice every shift, but damn I miss a good hipcheck.*Ed Note. After writing the first draft             I've now learned that Gudas is undergoing knee surgery. Ouch. 

The Aaron Rodgers Says “RELAX” Award: Steven Stamkos/ Jonathan Drouin

A tie! I could have also called this The Setup For a Big Second Half award.  I did read
 on a YouTube video comment section that Drouin is already a bust. (Advice - don’t ever read You Tube comments. It will make you hate humanity). Stamkos is still coming back from a pretty big injury and it seems he is pacing himself at times.  Drouin, well he spent most of the season with Brian Boyle and Brandon Morrow on his line and still has 15 points. Now that he is moving up and playing with better skilled players (I think a line with him, Valtteri Filppula and Brett Connolly would make me weep with happiness) he is going to start moving up the rookie point standings.

The Next Young Forward Traded to Toronto Award: JT Brown

Following in the footsteps of Carter Ashton and Richard Panik, I see Brown as the next player dealt off simply because there isn’t a place for him on the roster. I love the energy and pace he brings when he’s in the line-up, but I just think he isn’t as talented as other forwards on the roster.  Time for the Bolts to give him a shot somewhere else.

The Hope is a Beautiful Thing Award: Andrei Vasilevskiy

I love the way the organization is handling the big Russian goalie. Getting his feet wet slowly in the NHL while making sure he still gets playing time in the AHL. One of the things I can say about this season is that I was there at his NHL debut and it looked like he had been playing for years. There was a sequence at the end of the first period against Philly wear he made two or three point blank reaction saves and wasn’t rattled at all. In fact he was in position to stop two or three more shots. This kid is going to be really, really good. As in, Mr Yzerman might play the “I Wonder What Ben Bishop Would Bring in a Trade” game this off-season.

The Man That Really Sucks Award:  CapGeek ceasing operations

On January 3rd, the most useful NHL website in the history of the internet ceased it’s operation due to owner/operator Matthew Wuest’s health issues.  I’m going to miss having that site as a resource in the off-season and during the trade deadline. Just think how many writers (both professional and blogger) have used the phrase “according to CapGeek” in a story or a Tweet.  It boggles my mind how quick and reliable Wuest’s information was and how important it was to a sport where finances matter as much as on-ice performance. If there is ever a Sports Website Hall of Fame, CapGeek and Matthew Wuest are first ballot inductees.

Welp, that wraps it up for me.  Here’s to a second half that is as much fun as the first!