One month is in the books, and the 2023-24’ Tampa Bay Lightning are wildly inconsistent from game to game and period to period. They got two amazing performances from starting goaltender Jonas Johansson, shutting out both the Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks at Amalie Arena. Halloween Eve provided more tricks than treats for the home fans, as the Seattle Kraken jumped out to a multi-goal lead early before a comeback sent the game to overtime. Unfortunately, a couple of missed opportunities and a lack of puck possession sealed their fate. Once they embarked on their second road trip of the year, third period woes reared their ugly head in a loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets that didn’t make head coach Jon Cooper happy at all. Two nights later, the stars came out as the Bolts earned their first road win of the season in Ottawa.
After losing a heartbreaker to the Maple Leafs on October 21, Johansson was on point in making 55 saves over two straight games. That earned him recognition as one of the NHL’s three stars for the week of October 23. As of this writing, the young netminder leads the league in shots faced (over 300), saves made, and is tied for first with two shutouts. With Andrei Vasilevskiy expected back around Thanksgiving, the Lightning have two legitimate NHL goaltenders. Raise your hand if you thought that was possible back in September.
Late game woes continue to plague the Lightning also. They have yet to win a game in extra time, a period that they dominated in recent years. The biggest issue there seems to be a low battle level. Players seem to spend most of their time here puck-watching instead of trying to gain control. That doesn’t bode well for a team that thrives with the puck on their stick but struggles to play solid defense.
Speaking of those late-game woes, the Lightning have trouble closing out games in regulation as well. The Maple Leafs game two weeks ago provided a lesson to the team, or so we thought. November started off with a flashback to some of the more painful memories in franchise history, as the team blew another third-period lead in a loss to the rebuilding Blue Jackets. With time to tie, the Bolts instead took penalties and showed no sense of urgency. That’s disappointing from a team capable of keeping up with the best if they play their game.
It took four road games and a blown third period lead in the opening game of their second road trip, but the Lightning finally earned their first win away from Amalie Arena on November 4. They got big games from their stars, as Victor Hedman scored his second goal of the season, Brayden Point had a hat trick as part of a four-point night, and Nikita Kucherov had a career-high five points in a 6-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. The third period left plenty to be desired, with the Sens outscoring the Bolts, yet they scored enough to ultimately walk away with two points. The Lightning’s play late in games, especially in the final period, needs to be better if they plan to make the playoffs. Letting points slip through their fingers could be the difference between playing late into April or sitting at home for the first time since 2016-17’.
Can the Lightning find a way to win games away from Amalie Arena? While unknown, getting some points on the road and holding leads late will make their path to the playoffs easier.
ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink
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