Will the Tampa Bay Lightning make the playoffs?
The playoff run that the Lightning have enjoyed the last eight years appears to be in jeopardy right now. Tampa Bay is currently tied with the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 28-20-4 with 60 points.
This is a big week for the Lightning, with four games against teams in the division. It all started with a game against Ottawa on Tuesday night. The Lightning beat Ottawa 4-3 and will again play the Senators on home ice Thursday night before going on the road to Detroit and Montreal to wrap up the week.
Goals by Nikita Kucherov, Luke Glendening, Brandon Hagel, and Ryan McDonagh along with some outstanding goaltending by Vasilevskiy propelled the Bolts to the win.
You never like to say games in February are must-win games, but four games against division opponents this week are critical. Every game is important. Lose one of these games now, and you may look back in April and point to one of these games as a contributing factor to the Lightning missing the playoffs.
In the Atlantic division, just ten points separate the second-place team from the seventh-place team.
So, what has been the problem with the Lightning this season?
Lack of scoring. Outside of Kucherov, Brayden Point, Hagel, and Jake Guentzal, the Lightning have received very little support from the bottom six forwards, except for Nick Paul, who has 14 goals.
On Tuesday, the Lightning sent Conor Geekie to Syracuse. Geekie has not played well this last month, and the Lightning need players in the lineup who can contribute on the scoresheet. Geekie has six goals and six assists this season, but he has just one goal and two assists in his past 22 games and is minus-8.
Jon Cooper talked about the decision to send Geekie to Syracuse: “The fact that he was here 50 games is a tribute to him, and it’s all part of the process and part of the plan, This wasn’t knee-jerk or anything like that. Everybody knew. And it’s about ‘Geeks’ playing 15 years in this league, not 50 games. That’s the goal.”
The Lightning have the talent on the roster to end this drought, finish the season strong, and secure a playoff spot. However, Tampa has been in a funk lately, going 3-4-1 in their last seven games.
If scoring isn’t an issue, the Lightning seem to have defensive lapses, which cost them dearly in the game against the New York Islanders on Saturday. When scoring two goals or less, the Lightning are 0-14-2 on the season. With the playoffs fast approaching, teams tighten up defensively. With the Lightning in a scoring drought, it does not look good for this Bolts team to make the playoffs.
In other news, backup goalie Jonas Johansson is day to day with an injury. The Lightning signed goaltender Brandon Halverson to a two-year contract that will run through the 2025-26 season. Halverson has spent most of his career in the AHL but is having his best season yet. Halverson is 12-7-7 with a 2.20 GAA and a .918 save percentage with four shutouts this season. If Johansson’s injury continues, Halverson could get his first start for the Lightning in Detroit or Montreal this weekend.
After this week, the Lightning will be off for two weeks for the Four Nations Tournament and the All-Star break.
The playoffs started Tuesday night for the Lightning. With three games left this week against division opponents, this is the time to turn around the season and make that push for the playoffs.