Following a 6-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have spent the past thirty-six hours soul-searching. With Game Two on the horizon Thursday night, the Bolts must quickly right the ship after taking a severe blow to their postseason aspirations.
The Lightning’s loss to Florida in Game 1 Tuesday night can be attributed mainly to a combination of factors. Poor execution on the Bolts’ special teams and a string of early goals against them spelled a disastrous night at Amalie Arena. The Panthers’ dominating play gained them home-ice advantage. Therefore, the Bolts must wrest back control if they want a chance to advance to the second round.
Here are some key aspects for Tampa Bay as they look to rebound in Game 2:
Special Teams needs to get back on track
The morning after Game 1, Bolts forward Brandon Hagel was succinct in his thoughts on Tuesday’s performance.
“There’s a lot of hockey left. It’s one game,” Hagel said. “I think we created a lot of chances. We had our looks. They didn’t go in for us.”
“They had some bounces that went in for them. And, listen, there’s things we can clean up.”
One of those things is special teams. The Lightning’s penalty kill ranked sixth in the league this year at 81.6%. Unfortunately, Tuesday night the team gave up three power play goals. One power play goal came as a two-goal combo scored by Florida just 14 seconds apart to open a three-goal lead in the second period.
That lead widened to five later in the period when Matthew Tkachuk scored his second of two power play goals. The death-knell to the Bolts’ chances in Game 1, as it were.
“Our penalty kill has been exceptional as of late. It’s been great,” Head coach Jon Cooper reiterated Wednesday. “Is a team going to put some power play goals up against you? They are.”
“Unfortunately, it came in Game 1 of the playoffs. So there’s hope that we get back to some of the great things we’ve done.”
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh was optimistic about the Lightning’s special teams rebounding in Game 2.
“Our PK wasn’t sharp (in Game 1),” McDonagh said. “We missed some reads, and give them credit: they capitalized. But we’ve got another level we can get to here.”
“We’ve done it before, and our belief is there. And our system, the guys in the room handling adversity, losing guys, it’s playoff hockey. We know we have to respond here.”
Bolts must overcome the injury bug
Anthony Cerelli left the game midway through Tuesday night, and his absence was immediately felt. Although the Lightning has not fully disclosed his status, he missed the team’s optional skate on Wednesday and Thursday morning’s warmups.
When asked about his potential availability in Game 2 on Wednesday, Cooper shook his head no and moved on. Cooper was a little more optimistic on Thursday morning, stating that Cirelli will take warmup tonight.
“If he’s cleared to play, he’ll take play.”
The potential loss of Cirelli long-term would certainly have an impact on the team.
“Losing a guy like Tony (Cerelli)…obviously it’s not just a little piece,” Hagel said. “He’s a massive piece of this team, and depended on in so many areas.”
“So that’s definitely going to take an effect. It is what it is.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice anticipates Cerelli’s return to the lineup tonight.
“I am going to expect that he (Cirelli) plays,” Maurice said Thursday. “If he’s playing, he’s going to play well. This is a veteran on a veteran team, and there are no identity issues with it.”
“They (the Lightning) know exactly how to play the game and they can slot people in and move people easily to do that.”
Bolts Must Limit Matthew Tkachuk’s Impact
After a two-month layoff due to an injury in February’s Four Nations tournament, Tkachuk returned with a vengeance in Game 1. The Panthers’ star forward scored twice with an assist in nearly 12 minutes of ice time.
For the Bolts to be successful in Game 2, they will need to limit the success of Tkachuk and the Panthers’ aggressive play. They also need to avoid costly penalties that plagued them Tuesday night.
“We’ve got to be ready for (Game 2),” Darren Raddysh said Wednesday. “It didn’t seem like they were overhitting (in Game 1), and we were underhitting. It’s playoff hockey. You have to roll with the punches.”
“Everyone is going to need to be finishing their checks, and everyone is going to need to be playing the right way.”
Tampa Bay squares off against the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup First Round Playoffs tonight at Amalie Arena. The Panthers lead the series, 1-0. Game time is at 6:30pm.
