Not what you want to see when the Lightning are trying to come back |
Let's start with honesty. I have been
a horrible Lightning fan. During the first two games of the post
season I have seen a whopping 15 seconds of in-game action. Chalk it
up to work obligations (Wednesday night) and familial obligations
(Friday night). Also due to work restrictions I can't grow a playoff
beard. Luckily, due to some last minute scheduling changes the streak
was broken and I was able to catch most of game 3.
Still most of my opinion on how the
series has been going is based on other people's coverage. From what
I've read and digested how do I feel the first round is going for the
Lightning?
NOT GREAT BOB! |
Off-topic – I cannot tell you how
much I loved this scene from Mad Men. Pete Campbell is 30 different
kinds of awesome. Most of last season I zoned out on Don Draper's
descent into his own personal hell but perked up whenever Vincent
Kartheiser's receding hairline and kick-ass sideburns showed up on
screen. The show itself plodded a long a bit, but I have a feeling
it will rebound nicely in it's last season (although I think things
end badly for Mr. Draper).
Back to hockey.
I did watch most of the third game,
which I'm thinking is actually the best game the Lightning have
played over all. Still they ended up on the short end of a 3-2
score. They fought hard and Matt Carle's slapper from the point
silenced the Montreal crowd for about three seconds. A few last
second scrambles made things interesting at the end, but it wasn't
enough to pull off the comeback.
A lot will be written (and has been
tweeted) about the lack of coherent officiating in the game. Sure,
the refs disallowed a goal for the Lightning because Alex Killorn was
run into by Carey Price three and a half minutes before the goal was
actually scored. Was it a bad call? Of course. Did it swing the
momentum of the game? Yes. But who's fault is that?
One of the things you see from
experienced teams is the ability to overcome bad calls. The bad
calls become forgotten footnotes in the overall story of the game.
So far the Lightning haven't been able to do that in the postseason.
They're getting a hard lesson in how playoff hockey ramps up to a new
level.
That being said, I'm not ready to count
the Lightning out yet. After all, haven't we made that mistake a few
times already? At the beginning of the season, after Stamkos'
injury, the post-Olympic fade when there was a danger of the Maple
Leafs catching them for a playoff spot. In all these cases the team
has found a way to bounce back and put a streak together. Now, of
course, they need a four game winning streak to keep their season
alive.
How can they do it? By beating the
living shit out of the Canadiens. Sorry to be a bit vulgar, but the
honest truth is that they need to ramp the physical play up. They
need to hit them, wait for them to get up, hit them again, wait for
them to get the puck and hit them a third time. Eliminate the time
and space that Montreal has with the puck and I think you'll see them
cough the puck up a little bit more.
That goes against everything I believe
in. I like the beautiful game. I like three passes to set up a tap
in goal. I like speed and putting the defense on their heels.
Unfortunately, that isn't going to work against Montreal. Should the
Lightning be unable to pull off the comeback and the Canadiens match
up against the Bruins next round, watch what Boston does to them.
Ondrej Palat's pratfall was way better than Radko Gudas' in game one. |
Part two of the comeback plan involves
convincing Anders Lindback that he is a mini version of Ben Bishop.
He has to be the difference. That isn't to say he's been playing
horrible. He has been playing....good. With Carey Price playing
like he's in the Olympics instead of the NHL playoffs, “good isn't”
enough. Case in point, the third Montreal goal on Sunday night. The
Lightning were in the game, dictating most of the play when they got
out-hustled in their own zone. Tomas Plekanec wrists a shot at the
net and it finds a way past Lindback.
If he is to be the difference he has to
make that save. It wasn't an easy save, there were two players
screening him, but it's a save that has to be made. Those are the
saves that Price is making, and that, not bad officiating, is why the
Lightning are down 3-0 in the series.
I'm pretty sure Ben Bishop isn't
leading the team through the tunnel anytime soon. I think if he was
going to play, game 3 would have been the one for him to be between
the pipes. Coach Cooper didn't want to see his team down three games
to none, and a 85% Bishop is better than Lindback.
Since I just spent the last three
paragraphs heaping blame on Lindback you would think I'm pinning this
all on him. That's not the case. The Lightning didn't get to the
playoffs by playing tight defensive games and winning low scoring
games. They have to get the offense rolling. Even during game three
where they took the play to Montreal there were times when they shot
themselves in the foot with bad outlet passes and cross-ice attempts
that were easily picked off by Montreal defenders.
Your shoulder pads are not made of gummi bears, Anders. |
If they clean up their play with the
puck and put pressure on Montreal they still have a shot. Is it a
great shot? No, but maybe this team is young enough and inexperienced
enough to not know that they are supposed to roll over and die. If
they take one in Montreal they can build on it. One win builds the
confidence, two wins puts some doubt in the Canadiens' minds and the
next thing you know it's a series again.