Lightning at Panthers Recreation Preview: Bouncing again from adversity – Uncooked Cost

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Recreation Thirty-Two: Tampa Bay Lightning (18-11-2) at Florida Panthers (22-11-2)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Amerant Financial institution Enviornment, Dawn
TV/Stream/Radio: FDSNSUN, Scripps, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning +130
Alright. Let’s speak about a phrase right now. It’s one thing we heard rather a lot about within the 2019-20 season, however haven’t actually since then. That phrase – adversity.
Ryan McDonagh introduced it up after the Lightning’s 4-2 loss in opposition to the Florida Panthers final night time (hey, that’s the identical workforce they’re going through tonight!). The quote in full, compliments of Ben Pierce:
“You don’t clearly play the identical workforce two instances in a row until it’s playoffs, so it’s state of affairs for us to reply and go on the street and win a gutsy one, sort of like they did tonight. So it’s good for us to have this adversity right here earlier than break.”
A fast rewind on the phrase “adversity” for the brand new people round right here. In 2018-19 the Lightning ransacked the common season, gathering up 128 factors and successful 62 video games. In Recreation One of many opening spherical of the playoffs they constructed a 3-0 lead within the first interval in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets. That lead evaporated by the third interval they usually had been swept by the underdogs.
Following the shocking end result, there was a number of discuss over the summer time concerning the Lightning not going through any adversity throughout the season they usually weren’t prepared for it when it smacked them within the face within the playoffs. We heard rather a lot about it the following season after they went on to win the Stanley Cup within the bubble, after which the following season after they needed to play with out Nikita Kucherov for all the (albeit shortened) common season.
Guess who was right here for all three of these seasons? Yup, Ryan McDonagh. So he is aware of a factor or two a few factor or two. Now, let’s quick ahead to final night time’s loss. The Lightning performed effectively for a lot of the sport, however some psychological and bodily errors drastically altered an influence play they usually couldn’t discover the equalizer. And, for the primary time this month, they had been chasing a sport the place they weren’t the higher workforce on the ice.
Generally a workforce wants slightly adversity of their life with a purpose to stop turning into complacent. Within the grand scheme of issues, the Lightning are nonetheless taking part in rather well. Sure, the ability play was a difficulty, however in 83.4% of the video games stretched over a season, if a workforce wins the 5v5 battle, they’re going to win the sport (please notice that stat is made up, however with the majority of sport motion occurring at even energy, it’s higher to be higher at 5v5). It simply so occurred on one night time, that didn’t maintain true.
So, now, simply prior to a couple days off, the Lightning have slightly adversity standing in entrance of them. They’re heading on the street to face a division rival. They’re taking part in on a back-to-back. They are going to possible be beginning their back-up goaltender, who has been, effectively, thrilling to observe (each good and dangerous) this season. The Panthers will possible have their primary netminder in internet.
A loss tonight sends them into the vacation break with some doubt and concern. So we’ll see what sort of workforce they’re this season. To their credit score, they’ve been actually good at containing their dangerous play this season and never letting it carry over from sport to sport, one thing that has plagued them over the past two seasons.
Adversity isn’t only a basic idea both, it might apply to the in-game proceedings as effectively. Florida is a pain-in-the-ass workforce to play in opposition to. Prefer it or hate it, they’re a workforce that’s designed to get underneath an opponent’s pores and skin, led by the cracked tooth smile of Matthew Tkachuk. Final night time’s endeavor noticed Brandon Hagel get cracked by an elbow and Nick Paul eat a high-stick.
It’s not simply the bodily nature. Florida performs a high-pressure sport that limits area a possibility. Each of these short-handed objectives final night time had been the results of the Panthers pressuring the puck service. Sure, Nikita Kucherov whiffed on a dump-in, which occurs as soon as each thousand makes an attempt, however the Panthers had been there to pounce on the turnover. Eetu Luistarinen was on the spot to choose off Anthony Cirelli’s move on the second objective. Excessive strain everywhere in the ice causes adversity throughout a sport.
It’s not simply on their energy kill that the Panthers strain the puck-carrier getting into the zone. Their defenders are among the many most aggressive within the league at defending their blue line:
“You’re not going to have as many direct tape-to-tape passes. You’ve acquired to place pucks to areas, put pucks behind them, and use our velocity that means. It’s nearly space passes at instances,” McDonagh famous after the sport. The Lightning know how one can beat an aggressive workforce just like the Panthers (even when they’ve struggled to take action lately).
They should exploit that aggressiveness and, that is a very powerful half, money in on the alternatives that current themselves. If the defenders are stepping as much as defend the blue line, chip it round them and be first to the puck to retrieve it. Use fast correct passes to separate the protection. Greater than something, be keen to take a success to make a play, very like Jake Guentzel did on Brayden Level’s objective final night time.
Why did that play work (apart from Brayden Level is awfully good at hockey)? Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola stepped as much as hit Guentzel on the middle crimson line. It’s an aggressive play by a defender who’s trusting that he can both make the hit earlier than Jake passes the puck, or that his teammates are in place to chop off the move. Guentzel threw the puck to an open space, which allowed Level to skate into it. If that move is instantly at Level, it’s picked off by the retreating Panthers ahead. The added bonus is that Level is ready to collect it at high velocity and beat Dmitry Kulikov to the purpose of assault. That’s what McDonagh is referring to so far as taking part in the puck into open areas.
Count on a bodily sport tonight. Whereas the Lightning favor to do their retaliation on the scoreboard when one other workforce goons issues up, they do have a breaking level, and if historical past is any indication, it is going to occur in opposition to the Panthers. They do need to watch out to not exit of their approach to throw hits as Florida will exploit any openings brought on by gamers getting out of place to throw a success. Nonetheless, typically the easiest way to beat a bully is to punch him within the mouth.
The Lightning are being examined. They got here up brief final night time, however tonight we’ll see in the event that they’ve discovered their classes and execute their very own sport plan as a substitute of letting the Panthers dictate issues.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards:
Jake Guentzel – Brayden Level – Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Conor Geekie
Gage Goncalves – Nick Paul – Mitchell Chaffee
Zemgus Girgensons – Luke Glendening – Mikey Eyssimont
Protection:
Victor Hedman – Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg – Nick Perbix
Goaltenders:
Jonas Johansson
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Florida Panthers
Forwards:
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Rasmus Asplund
Protection:
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinkis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders:
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
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