Braydon Coburn quietly playing his best hockey of the season
The veteran was a big part of the Lightning's improved penalty kill in the series victory over New Jersey
© Andy Marlin
- Nikita Kucherov set a franchise record for scoring in a series after tallying five assists and netting five goals, including three game-winners.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy had never given up less than two goals in a playoff start until stopping 27-of-28 shots in a pivotal Game 4 road victory and repeating the performance with 26-of-27 saves in Game 5 to close out the Devils.
- If you're looking to single out a group rather than a player, how about the penalty kill? Maligned in the regular season after finishing 28th out of 31 teams, the Bolts' PK gave up just three goals over 19 times shorthanded, two of those three goals coming in 5-on-3 situations.
Dig beneath the surface, and another hero emerges.
Braydon Coburn.
Sure, the Lightning defenseman only accounted for one point in the opening round. It was a crucial point, however, Coburn's dish from the left boards into the slot for Nikita Kucherov proving to be the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the Bolts' road win in Newark.
But Coburn provided so much more for the Lightning in the New Jersey series. He's playing maybe his best defensively all season, his long reach able to knock pucks off of sticks and deflect passes to thwart scoring opportunities. The Devils' offense sputtered all series against the Lightning. Coburn had a hand in that.
He's hitting effectively. Just ask Blake Coleman, who was a pest the entire series until Coburn dumped him over the boards and into his own bench during Game 4. Coleman wasn't heard from the rest of the series.
And Coburn's a key member of that much-improved penalty kill that kept the Devils' power play grounded and allowed the Lightning to dominate all aspects of special teams in the first round.
"He was very good in that last series," Lightning associate coach Rick Bowness said of Coburn following Wednesday's practice session at the Ice Sports Forum. "You can talk a lot about the other guys, but I'm telling you, Cobie, he was really important to us winning that series and played really well for us."
Maybe Coburn's greatest asset is his ability to toil effectively in relatively anonymity while the rest of the Lightning defensemen shine in the spotlight. Victor Hedman had one of the best playoff series of his career despite going without a point, his defensive ability on full display against the Devils. Newly-acquired blueliner Ryan McDonagh continued to grow more comfortable in his role for the Lightning and had an assist in three of the five games and four helpers total.
And even Coburn's defensive partner, rookie Mikhail Sergachev, had his superstar moment after his shot from the top of the right circle found a way through four bodies stacked up in front of the New Jersey goal and Devils netminder Cory Schneider to reach the back of the net and break a scoreless deadlock in Game 5, sending the Bolts on their way to victory.
Coburn's workmanlike performance throughout the series has allowed the rest of the Bolts' D-corps to thrive.
"He's been playing with confidence all year, but obviously such a big guy, skates well, moves the puck well, tough to play against and blocks a lot of shots," Hedman, a Norris Trophy finalist for a second-straight season, said. "He's one of those guys you don't really like playing against but obviously it's good to have him on your team. Cobie, playing with Sergie in Sergie's first year, I think he's done a great job kind of, Sergie's simplifying his game a little bit and Cobie's moving the puck and putting it on guys' sticks and can get up ice quickly. He's been making some nice plays and getting involved offensively and that's all you can ask for. He's been tremendous and just got to keep building on it, like the rest of us."
Sergachev said Coburn's steadiness allows him to be more creative on the ice. If he makes a mistake, Coburn can erase it.
"He's great," Sergachev said. "The whole season, he was playing like that. In the playoffs, he's contributing, playing defense, hitting, he's doing everything. He's a great partner, and I've learned a lot from him."
After being healthy scratched a couple of times in March, Coburn re-established himself in a crucial 4-0 shutout of Boston in the third-to-last regular season game. The 33-year-old defenseman had two assists in that victory and was everywhere on the ice, poke checking pucks away to erase potential breakaways and blocking shots with every piece of his body to keep the puck from reaching netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who recorded his eighth shutout in the win, establishing a new Lightning franchise record.
Coburn has carried the confidence from that outstanding performance into the postseason.
"I think during the regular season you're always trying to build up to your best hockey, and for me, it was kind of about trying to stay sharp," Coburn said. "When you get to play against an opponent like Boston kind of at the end of the year, it's always a good measuring stick to try to get your game in the right place. I'm feeling good right now. I'm healthy. You just want to try and keep your momentum going."
