The Lightning won’t play a hockey game until Thursday, and these upcoming days off could be among their most important of the season.
They know they’re a better team than what they’ve shown over the first month, especially the past four games, in which they netted just one of a possible eight points. And their six-day break will provide the opportunity for a reset, both on and off the ice.
“I think there’s another level to our game that we haven’t gotten to this last stretch,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “We feel like we can control things a little bit better in some areas, and right now we’re just ending up on the wrong side of things.
“We have to stick with it, have to stick together as a team here and keep looking at some things and be really dialed in here. We’ve got six days to pretty much assess our whole game, where our team’s at.”
On Thursday, they couldn’t hold a one-goal lead going into the third period, allowing a tying score with less than five minutes left in regulation against a Flyers team that’s been one of the worst statistically. In the Lightning’s previous three games — all on the road — they went into the third tied twice and trailing by a goal once, and lost all three.
After Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Philadelphia, coach Jon Cooper said that he believed his team was complicating an uncomplicated game. And he’s correct. The Lightning are trying to be too fine, passing up shots for an extra pass, and without puck security, they’re giving it away for too many scoring chances in their own end. The result? Lightning rank 26th in the league in shots on goal despite being fourth in the league on shot percentage.
These are the times when a team, even one as skilled as the Lightning, needs to get back to basics: a dump-and-chase, physical style of play that when maintained will create the volume of scoring opportunities the team needs to turn fortunes around. It’s not about being pretty, it’s about being effective.
The Lightning have forgotten how to shoot, forgotten how to hit and because of it, they’ve struggled to win. Even though they were sluggish Thursday following a four-game road trip, their effort hasn’t been an issue. It’s not a matter of playing harder, but smarter.
“It’s probably a little bit more blue-collar, simpler game, a high-percentage game,” McDonagh said. " We’ve obviously got the skill, we want to make plays. We feel like we’ve got a system where we’re in sync, we know where each other are at. If there’s plays (there), we may make them, but if not, put our work boots on and get back to a grinding game at times, too.”
What makes that more important is the litany of injuries the Lightning are dealing with. Brayden Point, the team’s second-leading goal scorer, has missed two games with a lower-body injury. And on Thursday, defenseman Erik Cernak left holding his right arm after blocking a shot. Both Cooper and McDonagh indicated the Lightning are playing through even more physical issues. The time off will help everyone.
They’re also coming off a stretch of 13 games in 24 days, which likely hit the Lightning even harder given the number of postponements and cancellations the team had to overcome early in the season due to back-to-back hurricanes. They haven’t had much chance to practice over that stretch, so having that this week is critical.
They’ve been fortunate that most of the Atlantic Division is also struggling. Going into Friday, six teams were separated by four points.
“I think it’ll be good,” forward Brandon Hagel said of the break. “I think just kind of let the bodies heal, let the mind kind of relax a little bit, and come back and get right back to the grind. I think it’s been a little bit of a weird year with everything going on. This kind of little break here is (good to) get together as a group, but also come in when we practice and dial it in and come out to practice with a purpose.”
Who should be next for Lightning Hall of Fame?
As we approach the third year of the Lightning Hall of Fame, all the locks are currently in. Founder Phil Esposito, as well as Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier, who are the two Lightning players with their numbers retired, made up the inaugural class. And Dave Andreychuk, the captain of the 2003-04 Cup team, and Brad Richards, the Conn Smythe winner from the same team, were inducted last season.
The next choice will really determine the direction of the Hall of Fame, and if it’s truly about honoring the history of the franchise, it’s Brian Bradley’s turn.
Bradley never played on a Cup team, and isn’t a Hall of Famer, but as an original Lightning player, he was the franchise’s first All-Star in 1992-93 and first 40-goal scorer the same season. He helped guide the Lightning through some lean years to their first playoff appearance in the 1995-96 season. Before St. Louis, Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, it was Bradley who was the face of a fledgling franchise.
After his playing career ended, Bradley continued to embrace that role. Like Andreychuk, Bradley remained in Tampa Bay and he’s been one of the organization’s top ambassadors as the team’s community relations representative. True-blue Lightning fans have met Bradley, shaken his hand and have his autograph on their jerseys.
If Bradley is overlooked this year, and the committee selects worthy members of the first Cup team like Nikolai Khabibulin or Pavel Kubina, or even that team’s GM, Jay Feaster, it’s almost like it’s overlooking its foundational years. There will be plenty of time for both. And it seems too soon to honor players like Ryan Callahan and Ben Bishop.
If there are two inductees next year, it would be nice to give Henry Paul or Rick Peckham consideration. Paul was an under-the-radar figure in Tampa Bay landing the Lightning as Esposito’s right-hand man, and he should get his day in the spotlight; Peckham was the Lightning’s TV play-by-play man for 24 years. Both represent those same foundational years that are important to recognize.
