After a stunning three-game win streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning dropped back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets on the road over the weekend. Despite that they are two of the NHL’s best teams this season, they’ve set a benchmark of where the Bolts need to be to compete for the Stanley Cup.
While it’s still early in the season, the Lightning have had some positives and negatives over their first 12 games. After all, Tampa Bay was a big question mark following all the offseason changes. With that said, here’s a look at the most valuable takeaways from the past two games.
Lightning Coaching Staff Prioritizing Vasilevskiy’s Health
Lightning fans may have been confused when they saw Jonas Johansson earn the starting job against the top team in the NHL on Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg. However, it was a smart move by the coaching staff. Unlike previous seasons, Vasilevskiy needs a lighter workload, especially given his age and injury from last season. Therefore, the team turned to their 6-foot-5 backup to face the Jets.
Johansson surrendered four five-on-five goals on 27 shots for a .852 save percentage (Sv%) via NaturalStatTrick. Furthermore, he posted -1.98 goals saved above expected in the 7-4 loss. He allowed two high-danger goals, a medium-danger goal, and a low-danger goal. While not his best performance, it was good for Johansson to get a challenging game. The start will boost his confidence and prepare him in case of injury.
Nick Paul Struggling Without Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli
Before rookie Conor Geekie jumped into a top-six role a few games ago, the Lightning had Nick Paul play right wing alongside Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. The line was very successful at controlling puck possession at five-on-five and was one of the most dominant lines in the NHL over the first couple of games of the season. However, Paul was demoted back to a third-line center role, where his possession numbers at five-on-five are starting to look like last season’s.
Over the two-game span against the Wild and Jets, Paul had an 18.58 on-ice expected goals for percentage share (xGF%) at five-on-five, ranked lowest on the roster. Furthermore, his 33.62 on-ice shots for percentage (SF%) ranked last on the team. In other words, with Paul on the ice, the Lightning gave up two shots for one they produced. As management starts to think about in-season acquisitions, a third-line scoring forward should be at the top of the list for Tampa Bay.
Conor Geekie Earning Jon Cooper’s Trust
Head Coach Jon Cooper hasn’t had a prized rookie like Geekie in a while. The Lightning have dealt much of their draft capital for deadline acquisitions in recent years. However, the organization got its best prospect in years in the Mikhail Sergachev trade. Geekie is already in a second-line role with Hagel and Cirelli, and he’s been stellar.
Cooper’s trust in the rookie with his defensive zone face-off deployment is impressive. Geekie started 15.62% of his shifts in the defensive zone (DZ%) over the two-game weekend via EvolvingHockey. Furthermore, he continues to create offense of controlled zone entries in the microstats workbook. He looks like a future star for the blue and white.
Lightning’s Upcoming Schedule
The Lightning continue their Central Division road trip on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues (Nov. 5). Then, following a home game on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers (Nov. 7), the team has a week off until their rematch with the Jets at Amalie Arena (Nov. 14). The Bolts will look to get back on track after a solid October. The new additions of Jake Guentzel and J.J. Moser have fit beautifully as the Lightning franchise transitions into a new era.
