Both NHL teams in the state of Florida completed their first road trips of the season. Both clubs struggled, showing unexpected weaknesses on both ends of the ice. Both were outshot and outscored. But the Lightning’s issues were the most concerning.
The Lightning returned home to their practice facility in Brandon, FL, after four away games. The team is currently last in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with four points and one win in six games.
Two problems stand out: a lack of shots and ongoing trouble exiting their defensive zone. It’s nice and warm to “stay home”, but the team must be more aggressive with scoring efforts and dominate in the offensive zone. Their most troubling periods so far came in the first against the New Jersey Devils at home and the second against the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road. Tampa Bay dropped both games, 5-3 to New Jersey and 3-2 to Columbus.
Against the Devils on Oct. 11, Tampa Bay was outshot 16-2 and outscored 3-0 in the opening period. A week later in Columbus, the Blue Jackets outshot the Bolts 14-3 and tied the game 2-2 in the second frame before eventually taking control.
Nikita Kucherov, who finished last season with 121 points in 78 games and won his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy, didn’t play against Columbus and Detroit due to illness. He was back on the ice on Tuesday. Kucherov has two goals and one assist in four games. He is also three points short of his 1000-point milestone in the NHL.
After the four-game road trip, Conor Geekie was sent down to the Syracuse Crunch. He recorded one assist in six contests.
Defensively, the Lightning haven’t shown noticeable improvement from last season. Head coach Jon Cooper continues to shuffle defensive pairings in search of consistency. The lone bright spot has been Max Crozier, who posted three assists, four shots, and a +2 rating in four games, but he’s now sidelined with an injury. His status for the weekend remains uncertain. In response, the Lightning recalled 27-year-old left-shot defenseman Charle-Édouard D’Astous from the AHL. He’s still awaiting his NHL debut. Meanwhile, Emil Lilleberg leads the team with 15 penalty minutes and holds a -3 rating through six games, numbers that surely concern the coaching staff.
The coaching staff continues to stress that things will get better, and the players have enough experience to get back on track. The team will have a three-game homestand to show improvement and earn its first home win of the season. All fans are left with is hope.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.