Another loss to start the season has left the Lightning with more questions than answers. Most recently at the hands of the Washington Capitals in overtime on Tuesday night, the Bolts now fall to a 1-2-1 record to start the season. Luckily, it is still October, and game four of the season rarely has a dramatic effect on where a team ends up in April. That being said, there are some glaring issues that the Lightning need to figure out quickly, in order to stay competitive in a very dangerous division.
Through four games, the Lightning sit next to the bottom of the Atlantic Division, ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres, and although there have been some strong performances by specific players, the team game as a whole is not where most thought they would be.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
Tampa’s home opener against the Ottawa Senators was as much of a game 1 as it possibly could have been. A strong start by the Lightning, it lost its gas towards the end of the game, allowing the Sens to mount the comeback and score four straight against the Bolts after having trailed 3-1 after the first period.
But even in a disappointing defeat, there were still positive takeaways. Tampa’s power play looked especially lethal, scoring twice in the first period. However, things did not improved since their opening night game. Since game one, Tampa’s power play is running at only 14.3%, and until last game, had gone 7 straight power plays without a goal. However, the Lightning have still found their way onto the scoreboard, having the fourth-highest team shooting percentage according to moneypuck.com.
That all sounds great, but the Lightning are tied for second last in the league for shots on goal, and their shooting percentage is bound to regress to the mean as the season wears on. The Lightning have been outshot in every game thus far, and are currently averaging only 21 shots on goal per game, compared to their 31.5 average shots against.
The Lightning need to figure out how to get pucks on net, and begin reaching that 30+ shot mark. This roster is still loaded to the brim in talent, and we’re seeing that in their scoring efficiency, but a lack of quality attempts is hindering Tampa’s ability to stay in these games. If the Lightning can get their shot numbers up, they may at least be able to outscore their problems.
Defence Wins Championships
On the defensive side of the puck, things have not been much better. Even though the Lightning have had better showings in their last couple of games against Boston and Washington, in which they won and lost in OT, respectively, they are still finding themselves getting outshot and outchanced in each game. Normally, for the Lightning, getting outshot is okay when you have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, but the veteran netminder has failed to record an above .900 SV% in each of his three starts.
Now stats can be misleading, as Andrei Vasilevskiy was very good in his last start against the Washington Capitals. Aside from one tough goal, Vasilevskiy made several key saves to keep Tampa in the game and force OT, but if Tampa is to storm their way back to the top of the division, they need their star goalie to start stealing some games.
Despite Tampa Bay’s 10 five-on-five goals against being the fifth worst amongst teams with 4 games or fewer played, the Bolts have a silver lining in their penalty kill. Surrendering only 1 power play goal in their last 15 penalty kills. It is a good thing, too, as ever since their bout against the Panthers in the preseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired a taste for the penalty box.
Tampa is currently the number one most penalized team in the league, averaging almost 13.5 penalty minutes per game MoneyPuck. Now, luckily, the fix for this one is simple. Stop taking so many penalties. Every team takes penalties; they are an unavoidable part of the game. If your team is not taking penalties, they are likely not trying. But the unnecessary, or downright stupid, penalties need to stop.
Onwards and Upwards
Not every team can come blasting out of the gate to start the season, and not every team that does maintains its momentum. There are 82 games in a season after all, and so the Lightning do need to let this slow start determine their season in any way. However, in a division as competitive as the Atlantic, the Bolts need to turn the ship around sooner rather than later, or risk being left behind. The Lightning will continue their campaign on the road tonight, facing another divisional rival in the Detroit Red Wings, who currently sit at the top of the Atlantic.
