Strong Team D: It’s not a coincidence that the Lightning’s current three-game winning streak has coincided with the club tightening up defensively.
Players and coaches acknowledged that the week-long layoff earlier this month served as a reset. Heading into that break, the Lightning had gone 0-3-1 in their previous four games. They knew their defensive play needed to improve. It wasn’t necessarily the overall goals against number: excluding empty-net goals and one shootout goal, they had yielded just 12 goals in those four games. But sloppy puck management was fueling the opposition's attack and short-circuiting their own offense. Additionally, their defensive breakdowns, while not always frequent, were often egregious and costly.
The six-day gap between games served two important purposes. First, Lightning players dealing with bumps and bruises healed up. For three of the six days, the team didn’t go on the ice. The practices on the other three days were productive and detail-oriented. One practice even included work on line changes, an area that had cost the Lightning in earlier contests.
Coming out of the break, the Lightning have gone 3-0-0 and allowed just three total goals. Those numbers are impressive. Even more impressive is how they’ve kept that number low. They’ve managed the puck in the neutral and offensive zones well, which has kept opposition odd-man rush chances to a minimum. While there have been occasional moments when they’ve struggled to clear pucks from the defensive zone, they’ve recovered quickly and not let the problem escalate. Their play away from the puck has been outstanding, so the other team hasn’t gotten open looks from dangerous areas. The Lightning have checked tightly, helping them close off plays in the defensive zone and retrieve pucks. They’ve protected the front of the net, blocking shots from distance and contesting attempts from closer range. Their battle level has been high, so they’ve won 50-50 pucks and made the game a hard one for the opposition. The penalty kill has been a key part of the defensive effort as well, going 10-11 over the three games.
Now, of course, the challenge is to keep it going.
A Mediocre Atlantic: The Lightning are only one of three Atlantic Division teams with more points than games played. While there is still a lot of runway left in this regular season, the league is rapidly approaching the quarter-mark. So a clearer picture of the standings is beginning to take shape.
We’ve seen subpar play from five of the Atlantic teams. Four clubs hoped to take a step forward this year: Detroit (which missed the playoffs by losing a tiebreaker to Washington last season), Buffalo, Ottawa, and Montreal. To this point, none has done so. The Bruins, usually at or near the top of the division standings, also have stumbled out of the gates and just fired Jim Montgomery.
Thanks to their recent winning streak, the Lightning have put a little bit of distance (especially in terms of points percentage) between themselves and those five other clubs. They’d like to maintain and (hopefully) extend that gap.
Upcoming Blind Squirrel Events: A sincere thanks to all of you who have read my novel, Blind Squirrel. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reception the book has received, especially within Bolts Nation. People have told me how much they enjoyed the story, how they connected with the story, and how the story moved them. As many of you know, I’ve pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds to Tampa Bay Thrives, a non-profit committed to improving mental health in our area. I’m happy to report that I recently made my first donation to Tampa Bay Thrives. This wouldn’t have been possible without your support.
I do have a couple of upcoming events scheduled.
In advance of the holidays, I’ll be doing a book signing on Ford Thunder Alley outside Amalie Arena before the Lightning host Toronto on Saturday, November 30. I’ll be available beginning at 4:30 PM and will stay until just before 6:30 PM warmups.
On Monday, December 2 at 6:00 PM, Paul Kennedy and I will be at Bookstore1Sarasota to discuss Blind Squirrel. Registration is free.
For those interested, Blind Squirrel now has its own Facebook page and Instagram page.
