Game: 17
Opponent:
Buffalo
Did I watch Live?: Nope
(but I listened)
Why Not?: Blackout
(the TV kind, not the drinking kind)
Did I watch on replay?:
Nope. Nor will I.
Three Stars: 3. Chad
Johnson 2. Nikita
Kucherov 1. Jack
Eichel
Worst Play:
Does it even matter any more?
Thoughts:
So, we're
seventeen games in and things don't seem to be getting any better.
The coaches and the players are saying the right thing – it's a
process, the goals will come, we have a lot of talent, it's not a
Stanley Cup hangover, etc., etc.
The fans are
getting freaked out. Let's check the Tampa Bay Times comments section
for a sample of the outrage......oh......no comments? Game recap on
NHL.com – all Sabre's fans (thanks for the tired “Tamp-ons”
comment Arthur Carl Scott. ESPN? More Buffalo fans. Ian Lamb drops a
“Tampa Suck”. Not really a comment, more like the title of the
next Tim Dorsey book (if the season has you bummed out, pick up some
of his stuff. It'll make you laugh...maybe even out loud).
So, we're not freaked out, we just don't care! It's easy
to cherry pick a few articles and make fun of the apathy, but I think
on a whole fans are more bewildered than anything else. With a roster
filled with players that have produced goals a plenty in the previous
season, to be in this kind of scoring drought is mind blowing.
All we are left
with are tired adages like, “get the puck to the net” or “play
harder”. The effort is there, they just aren't finishing their
chances. At this point they're almost working too hard. They're
trying to be too fine in scoring goals. They are a pass happy team
to begin with and I think in their efforts to score they're trying
extra passes in the hopes it improves the scoring opportunities.
Their one goal
against the Sabres was on a one-timer from Steven Stamkos set up by a
cross-ice pass by MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV. It was successful mainly
because Buffalo defenseman Josh Georges hit his own teammate with a
clearing pass and the rest of the players were out of position. The
puck dropped right to Kucherov and he was able to find Stamkos.
Other than that,
their passes are finding skates and sticks, getting deflected and
cleared out of the zone. Teams are hip to their preference to
generate shots by zipping the puck across the ice and are clogging
the middle of the ice to prevent it. They are for the most part not
pressuring the man with the puck, counting on him not to take the
shot.
 |
| Wide open net, shoot into the goaltender. Sure why not. Photo by Scott Audette NHLI/Getty |
It might behoove
the Lightning to start driving to the net more and taking the shot
(hopefully getting it on net – looking at you Vic Hedman). Not
only would more rebounds/deflections be generated, it would force the
defense to play closer to the man with the puck which, wouldn't you
know it, open up more passing lanes. Think of it as a hockey version
of the play-action pass. For a play-action to work in football you
actually have to hand the football off every once in a while. The
Lightning need to take a shot at the net in order to open the ice for
those beautiful one-time, cross-ice goals.
The good news is
that the two players that are racking up points aren't in contract
years (I realize MBNK is a restricted free agent, but he's either
getting a big raise or an offer sheet if he puts up 30 goals). Also,
it's not as if they are hopelessly out of the playoff race. Even
with the stumbles they are still in the thick of things (although the
fact they've played two more games then a lot of those around them in
the standings doesn't help). As cold as they are now, they can get
equally as hot and rip off a nice winning streak – especially with
the schedule being a little more more home-ice friendly.
Jo or Johnny:
Still a bit
one-sided. Both players were held scoreless in their last outings
(Jonathan Drouin is now 0-for-November in points). Maybe the bet
should be – will Johnny Gaudreau have more points than the entire
Lightning team in their match-up on Thursday?
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