BUFFALO -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have a "critical game" against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN), coach Jon Cooper said.
The Lightning have lost two in a row after a 5-3 win at home against the Nashville Predators in their season opener Oct. 10. They were outscored 11-6 and allowed a combined 80 shots on goal in road losses to the Detroit Red Wings (6-4 on Saturday) and Ottawa Senators (5-2 on Sunday).
"It's tough to come [away] empty-handed, and that's why tonight is a critical game for us," Cooper said following the morning skate. "To go on this trip this early in the year and get zero points out of teams you're competing for a playoff spot with makes it a little bit of an uphill climb, and that's not something you want to do earlier in the year. I don't want to say Game 4s are big games, but this is a big one for us."
The Sabres, Senators and Red Wings are Atlantic Division rivals each looking to end a Stanley Cup Playoff drought this season. Two already own wins against the Lightning.
"I told our players they can't let frustration set in," Cooper said. "Let's turn that energy into a little bit of anger here and help out on the defensive side of the game. Our goalies have done everything they can to help us out, now we have to do a little bit more for them."
The Lightning will have to do more without their captain, Steven Stamkos. The forward will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury and is day to day. Forward Tyler Motte is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury sustained in the season opener, and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is out for at least the first two months, leaving Tampa Bay to use Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins.
Johansson has played 37 NHL games (30 starts) for the Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Lightning. Tomkins made his NHL debut at age 29 on Sunday.
"What's been great, they've been capable," Cooper said. "For guys to come in 30 games in when your game's established is one thing. I think it's easier on goaltenders. It's not quite the same way when you're just coming in Game 1, 2 and 3, and teams they don't have their structure down and can play a little erratic. I always think that's a really tough spot for a goaltender to be put in. And like I said, our guys have handled it well. We've got to get our game a bit better in order in front of them."
Tampa Bay has made the playoffs six consecutive seasons and nine of the past 10, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and '21, and losing the 2022 Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Avalanche.
"I think I said it after the game the other night. We look at shots that have a chance of going into the net," Cooper said. "And there weren't a lot. The problem is they went in. You're going to give up chances, the teams are too good. There's a lot of skilled, fast players out there, but if you're going give them a chance, make it a C-chance, not an A-chance. And so we've actually, aside from the Detroit game in the second period, we've done a pretty good job of that. But it's just it's been a strange start to the season."
