The Second 10-Game Segment: As detailed in the previous Musings column, the Lightning need to gain an average of 12 points in each 10-game segment to be on ‘playoff pace.’ Wednesday’s contest against Winnipeg wrapped up the Lightning’s second 10-game segment of the season. After accumulating 11 points during the first 10 games of the season, the Lightning entered this just-completed segment one point off playoff pace. While they were unable to make up that point, they didn’t fall any farther behind playoff pace. That’s because they banked exactly 12 points in Games 11-20.
The Lightning started and ended the segment well. They went 2-0-1 in the first three games and 3-0-1 in the last four. But in between, they dropped three consecutive games in regulation. The fact that they were able to overcome that stretch and still bank 12 points in the segment was impressive. It does illustrate, however, how quickly losing streaks — even short ones — can negatively affect a team’s position in the standings.
But the Lightning navigated their way through that speed bump. By going 5-0-2 on either end of the three-game skid, the Lightning kept themselves right in the mix of the tight Atlantic Divison and Eastern Conference standings.
The next 10-game segment will be one of the more challenging ones for the Lightning this season. They play seven of those games on the road, and the 10 games will take place in four different time zones.
Stick Taps for Johansson: When it was announced during training camp that Andrei Vasilevskiy would miss eight to ten weeks with an injury, many wondered how the Lightning would manage during Vasilevskiy’s absence. Vasilevskiy is now poised to return, perhaps as soon as tonight in Carolina.
As referenced above, the Lightning have stayed in the mix while he recovered from surgery. That has been due in large part to the play of Jonas Johansson. Prior to this season, Johansson had appeared in a total of 35 NHL games. He’s now at 52 NHL games, having started 17 of the Lightning’s first 20 games.
While his GAA and save percentage numbers don’t rank among the league leaders, Johansson’s play has been better than those two stats. As Jon Cooper stated before the Winnipeg game, the Lightning’s goaltending has been good so far this year. The Lightning have not defended as tightly as they would have liked during the season’s opening quarter; as a result, Johansson has faced more shots and high-danger scoring chances than any other goalie in the league.
Then there’s the most important statistic: his record. In those 17 starts, Johansson only lost four games in regulation. In other words, the Lightning earned at least one point in 13 of Johansson’s 17 appearances.
Team D: No matter which goalie is protecting their net, the Lightning know that their defensive numbers need to improve. Still, as Cooper and Steven Stamkos remarked after Wednesday’s contest versus the Jets, the Lightning are defending better now than they did at the start of the season.
It hasn’t yet been reflected in the team’s overall stats. Heading into Friday’s 15-game slate in the NHL, the Lightning ranked tied for 26th in goals allowed per game. In their first 17 games, they’ve held the opposition to two goals or less in only three contests. Two of those came in their back-to-back shutout victories in late October. The other occurred in last week’s 4-2 win at Chicago.
But in recent games, the Lightning have started to clean up many of the issues that plagued them earlier in the season. Fewer turnovers. Fewer breakdowns. Fewer scoring chances allowed.
If they can continue trending in the right direction, their GA/G number will come down. Certainly, having Vasilevskiy in the net will also help.
