What the Lightning can learn from the Oilers’ Game 1 win

The Tampa Bay Lightning are no longer in the playoffs. That doesn’t mean we can’t keep talking about them, right? So, along the same lines of the eternal How Does this affect the Leafs? we present a recap from the perspective of what the Lightning pull from both teams in regards to the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 overtime win against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

If you didn’t watch, well, first off, congratulations on getting a full night’s sleep. For a playoff season that was surprisingly lacking in lengthy overtime contests, it seemed like the game was heading for a second overtime before Leon Draisaitl slammed home his second goal of the game with 31 seconds left in the first bonus frame.

The goal sent the home fans into a state of euphoria and gave the Oilers a much needed 1-0 lead in the series. Had they lost this game after blowing a 1-0 lead, and then fighting back from a 3-1 deficit, it would have been a demoralizing loss for the Western Conference Champions.

Edmonton’s game-opening goal was a good lesson in how to beat the Panthers. For the Lightning, the lesson is – if you want to get one past Sergei Bobrovsky, get a shot on net and then crash it.

Jake Walman flung a shot from the boards that was tipped by Kasperi Kapanen. Bobrovsky made the initial save, because that’s what he’s been doing all post-season. The play was made by Evander Kane Leroy Jenkins-ing his way through the crease. It screened the goaltender a bit, but more importantly, it kept Gustav Forsling from being able to come out and block off Draisaitl.

Florida has spent the entire playoff season owning the front of the net. Edmonton got inside of that protection and made them pay. They also didn’t rest on their success either as they pushed the play (and physicality – more on that later). Of course, Florida did their Florida thing. Their confidence level is off of the charts.

Therein lies lesson number two – don’t get out of your game plan if things go a little haywire early. The Panthers withstood the pressure and tied the game up. They have the “been there, done that” swagger and have been able to assert their style of play on their opponents no matter what the score of the game is. The Lightning had that swagger during the Cup runs, and its slipped a little over the last few years. They’ve allowed their opponents to dictate the pace of the game.

In typical Panthers’ fashion the goal came with a little physical contact and a little controversy. A shot from the slot by old friend Carter Verhaeghe beat Stu Skinner, but Sam Bennett was all up in his crease.

Goaltender interference, right? Nope, thanks to Brett Kulak tripping Bennett, which caused the contact. One failed challenge later and Florida made it 2-1 with a power play goal. Things really started to look bleak when Bennett scored his second of the night early in the second period. The mojo for the Oilers was officially gone, and the crowd was taken out of it.

Florida has been so very good at changing the pace of the game in the second period throughout the playoffs. It was especially noticeable against the Carolina Hurricanes. There were a few games in that series where Carolina put together really good starts, but then faded in the middle frame as Florida stuck to their system and ground the game to a halt.

After putting up 11 scoring chances and 14 shots on goal in the first period, Edmonton only had 6 scoring chances and 8 shots, with most of those coming late in the period. The good news is that on one of their few shots on Bob, they put it past him. What was nice about this play is the speed and efficiency Edmonton had in getting it out of the zone. They didn’t dally or circle it behind the net to regroup. Tampa Bay did that a lot in the opening round series, and it just gave Florida a chance to set things up in the neutral zone.

A team can’t stop skating against Florida. To do so invites their forecheck, and usually leads to some chaos. Florida got to that game as the period progressed, but Edmonton didn’t wilt. In fact, they kept doing what they had been doing most of the game, which was matching Florida hit for hit. Both teams ended the night with 51 hits, and there were a few moments where it looked like the Panthers started to anticipate hits and rushed to get rid of the puck.

Edmonton tied things up with Mattias Ekholm’s third-period goal. The two teams battled for the last 14 minutes of regulation and then 18 minutes of overtime. With just over two minutes to go in the first overtime, Tomas Nosek flipped a puck into the crowd to earn a delay of game penalty. Part of the reason he did it was because an Oiler was bearing down on him. Nosek rushed the play and made a mistake. Edmonton ended it a shifts later.

Perhaps that’s the most important lesson for the Lightning – teams don’t like to get hit. Even if they are the big, bad Panthers. If you can establish a physical presence early and often, it can lead to mistakes later in the game, or later in the series. That doesn’t mean they need to go out and get a bunch of guys that run amok trying to hit everything in sight, but a tough forecheck, and timely physical play can create chances that lead to goals.

Edmonton did what they couldn’t do early in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, which was to win a game in which they dominated play. Bobrovsky was the difference last year in Games 1-3. Maybe it was the rust from the long layoff between conference finals, but he wasn’t as sharp as he has been for the last two post-seasons. The Oilers pulled out the win, and now they have the early lead in the series. With both teams back in the swing of things, getting win number two will be even tougher.