The Lightning did a lot of good things in their 2-0 win over the Flyers Monday at Amalie Arena. But after the win, coach Jon Cooper said his team will have to play much better on its upcoming road trip to earn the points it needs as it jostles for playoff positioning with 15 games remaining in the regular season.
Following a fast-paced practice Wednesday at TGH IcePlex, the Lightning flew to Dallas, where they’ll open a three-game trip Thursday against the Stars. They then play back-to-back games Saturday at Utah and Sunday at Vegas.
The trip is their last outside the Eastern time zone and a break from head-to-head competition against their Eastern Conference competitors in the playoff race.
The Lightning (39-23-5) started Wednesday tied with the Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Panthers. The Senators were six points behind Tampa Bay, in the first wild-card spot. The Canadiens held down the second wild-card spot, though five teams were within four points of them.
“It seems like every other night now, new teams are jumping into the playoffs and they’re all chasing each other,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “The three teams in the Atlantic that are up top are pretty close. Any point here is huge as far as where you might finish, and ultimately the goal is to make the playoffs in any fashion, and we’re certainly not there yet. So, we’ve got to keep getting points.”
The Stars were second in the Central, a first-round playoff matchup with the Avalanche almost a certainty. But they were third in the NHL in points and got a boost from the blockbuster trade that brought Mikko Rantanen from the Hurricanes.
Both Dallas and Vegas are among the league’s best home teams, starting Wednesday tied for the third-most points at home (51). Then there’s Utah, hungry to make the playoffs in its first season since relocating from Arizona.
“We’re not playing them for position like we’re trying to catch them, but it’s an opportunity for us to get points in these non four-point games, so they’re extremely important for us,” Cooper said. “We’re playing two teams that are firmly Stanley Cup contenders and another team that’s trying to break their way to the playoffs. So, this is three really tough games for us, and I guess we’re gonna see where we sit.”
After the Lightning’s win over the Flyers, Cooper said his team committed too many turnovers. Asked again Wednesday, Cooper said Tampa Bay played “extremely slow.”
“We didn’t play direct and predictable,” he said. “We just played slow, and when I say slow it would take us six, seven passes just to get from our blue line to their blue line. And ultimately, now you’re allowing teams to set up in structure. Now you’re one mistake away from turning it over and going the other way.
“So, it was just a little uncharacteristic of us, especially the way we did the opposite (two days earlier) against Boston. So, we were fortunate to get away with it.”
While Cooper previously has said the Lightning have a tendency to pass too much, he never before said they were slow to get up the ice.
“We were kind of sitting back, just kind of moving around, slowing it down on ourselves, and when you’ve got a good-structured team like (Philadelphia), it’s gonna be hard to weave your way through,” McDonagh said. “So, it’s just getting it out to the forwards quickly and putting it into an area where we can forecheck first. A lot of times last game, we chipped it in and we didn’t have the speed to get in on it first, so it’s little things like that.”
Pace is one thing, but McDonagh said one of the keys to the Lightning’s recent success (an 11-1-1 stretch propelled them toward the top of the division) was executing their forecheck to create pressure and puck possession in the offensive zone, putting pucks on net, driving to the net and maintaining pressure with their shot-scramble game.
“It’s speed of execution,” McDonagh said. “It’s just being selfish in the fact of just putting a puck in, not looking for another teammate. If there wasn’t a better play to be made, being OK with putting it behind them and getting our forechecking game going.
“We’ve had accountability, and this group has bought into it at times, and we just need to be consistent with that and understand our opportunities to make 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 on the rush are going to be there. ... In the neutral zone, it’s about getting back to our forecheck.”
