Entering the Christmas break on a five-game win streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning had every reason to feel confident as the team entered its last home stand of the calendar year. However, with Tampa Bay now suffering back-to-back losses – a 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal on Saturday, a 4-3 regulation loss to New York on Sunday – the team is left to reflect on what went wrong before heading out on a lengthy road trip.
With less than 24 hours separating the past two contests, the Lightning’s slow start against the Rangers was not entirely unexpected. Less than five minutes into the first period, Tampa Bay defenseman Radko Gudas turned the puck over to New York’s Derek Stepan; a quick pass to Rick Nash would result in the Rangers getting on the board first.
However, this was more than just a slow start; Gudas’ turnover would set the tone for the rest of the game. The Lightning had nine giveaways on the night, while the Rangers forced eight takeaways. Head Coach Jon Cooper noted that such puck mismanagement is one of the main reasons for this latest loss.
“That was the old ‘work smarter, not harder’. I think the guys worked really hard, but we didn’t work very smart,” Cooper said. “I don’t think I’ve seen us mismanage pucks more in 39 games than we did tonight. It was disappointing to see how we managed the puck in the first two periods, and it ultimately cost us the game.”
Turnovers were not the only issues Tampa Bay dealt with against New York. The penalty kill, a unit that is currently depleted with injuries to key defensemen Eric Brewer and Sami Salo, was not able to kill off any of the Rangers’ three power play opportunities. This lead to three consecutive goals by New York, and left Tampa Bay trailing by two goals headed into the final period of play.
Despite the defensive struggles, the Lightning certainly has many positives to draw from as the team prepares to hit the road. Tampa Bay managed 40 shots on goal, the team’s fourth-highest shot total this season, against New York, and slipped the puck past one of the league’s best goaltenders three times. Offensive production from the top two lines is growing despite Stamkos’ absence, and the team showed grit in the final 20 minutes of play despite trailing by two goals.
However, simply showing grit is not enough for Tampa Bay Lightning captain Marty St. Louis, who said that his team did not deserve a win after playing just one strong period against the Rangers.
“We played one good period, and that’s not enough in this league. We’ve got to get back to pushing the pace, keeping the puck moving forward,” St. Louis said. “It’s tough to crawl back from two goals in this league. Is it possible? Yes. Did we give ourselves a chance? Yes. But at the end of the day, you lose the game because you only played one good period. We got what we deserved.”
Tampa Bay will now hit the road for a four-game trip to Western Canada, starting with a contest on New Year’s Day against the Vancouver Canucks. The Lightning will return home just once in the next two weeks, on January 9th to take on the Washington Capitals; such a long stretch away from the Tampa Bay Times Forum will prove to be a real test for a team with a 9-8-2 away record.
Cooper acknowledged that these next two weeks will show what his team is made of, especially as the Atlantic Division begins to narrow. Tampa Bay currently sits four points behind the division-leading Boston Bruins, and just one point in front of the Montreal Canadiens. Detroit and Toronto, currently in fourth and fifth place respectively, are not far behind.
“It’s tough for us because we’re pretty good at home. Now here we are two games out of the break, and I had a really good feeling that we’d come out of here with more than just one point,” Cooper said. “Seven of our next eight are on the road. But it’ll be the test; if you want to make the playoffs, you have to win on the road. Whatever little cushion we thought we had has quickly evaporated, and we have to go prove that we can win on the road.”
Student rush tickets are available for all Lightning home games during the 2013-14 season. More information can be found at lightning.nhl.com.
