Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mitchell Chaffee (right) celebrates his goal against the Boston ... [+]
With Boston coming off a come-from-behind win at Florida the night before, Jon Cooper’s message to his team was that the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins may have arrived in Tampa a little fatigued. Playing a physical game out of the chute could tip the scales in the Lightning’s favor.
Sure enough, the Lightning hit early and hit often. They recorded 47 hits, their second-most in a game this season and twice their season average, in a 3-1 win at Amalie Arena on Wednesday evening.
“Take advantage of a team that emptied the tank the night before,” said Cooper.
Tampa Bay has been taking advantage of many things during an eight-game point streak (7-0-1) they take into Saturday evening’s match with the visiting Red Wings. The run has lifted the Lightning to within four points of third-place Toronto in the Atlantic and has them in the desirable position of controlling their own destiny as far as making the playoff cut. Indeed, Tampa Bay has breathing room when it comes to the wild card picture.
The Lightning have been helping themselves by limiting turnovers, especially those that too often left goalies Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson hung out to dry earlier this season. Playing a noticeably more patient brand of hockey has allowed Tampa Bay to capitalize on its opponents’ errors.
“We are just not giving up the freebies,” said Cooper, whose team went 4-o-1 on a recent five-game trip. “You start taking away the glaring errors and we have played a much more consistent game, which has helped us out.”
A consistent style that results in piling up points can do wonders for the confidence level in the room.
“We have had a bit of an up-and-down season and to string together this many games in a row is good for our confidence,” said Brayden Point, who has 17 goals in his last 17 games, 42 on the season and an NHL-best 11 game-winners. “I think we found an identity that really works for us. Playing simple, not forcing things, playing our structure and waiting for opportunities.”
Trade Deadline Acquisitions
Since acquiring forward Anthony Duclair from San Jose and defenseman Matt Dumba from Arizona at the trade deadline – both debuted with the Lightning on March 9 versus the visiting Flyers – Tampa Bay has not lost in regulation. The current 7-0-1 streak coincides with their coming on board.
“There are a lot of things that add up to this,” Cooper said of his team’s run. “The addition of (Duclair) and Dumba has infused some life into us, but it is not just that. We were kind of (picking up the pace) and the timing of them joining us was perfect for us.”
Duclair had at least one point in each of his first seven games (5-4-9) with the Lightning and Dumba has been as dependable as advertised on the blue line, where the team needed help. He has logged about 21 minutes per game with Tampa Bay.
“They are great players and bring depth to our team,” said Point. “(Duclair) is contributing offensively and Dumba has been solid back there with a lot of blocked shots and crisp passes. They have added a lot to our team.”
Superb Special Teams
Prior to going 0-for-3 on the man advantage at Anaheim on March 24, the Lightning had at least one power play goal in six straight games and went 9-for-23 (39%) in that span. That is impressive even for a team clicking at a league-best 28.9%. Steven Stamkos (15) and Point (14) were both in the top 10 in PPGs through games of March 28.
The penalty kill has been performing at something beyond an elite level. The Lightning have killed off 30 of 31 power plays in their last 10 games to boost their season’s percentage to 82.5, good for sixth in the league.
“Special teams have been a big deal,” said Cooper. “Our penalty kill has done really well for us and the power play is getting timely goals. Tip the cap to our PK, which has been on quite a run for us here of late and keeps us in games.”
