TAMPA, Fla. – After scoring eight goals on 14 shots in Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return at Carolina last Saturday to extend their points streak to five, it appeared as though the Lightning might be able to pick up at least another couple of points on the remainder of a three-game trip.
Instead, the Bolts were held to one goal in back-to-back losses at Colorado (4-1) and Arizona (3-1) on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
“We had a good game in Carolina and a chance to have a successful trip, and we fell short,” said Brayden Point, who scored the only goal in the loss to the Coyotes. “Things to learn from, that’s for sure.”
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We will see what lessons can be applied over the course of a week that features a quirky schedule. The Lightning host Pittsburgh on Thursday night – it’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Amalie Arena — before traveling to Dallas for a Saturday matinee. They return to Amalie to host the Stars on Monday and, next Thursday, have their second home game in seven days against the Penguins. (The Pens have a home-and-home against the Flyers in between Tampa dates.)
Regardless of the schedule, it will be in the Lightning’s best interests to continue to attack like they did on the trip. While they scored one in goal in Denver and Tempe, they had numerous chances with many of the high-percentage variety. They had 76 shot attempts against the Avs and 77 against the Coyotes.
“I thought we carried the play most of the night,” Victor Hedman said of the effort against Arizona and goalie Connor Ingram, a former Lightning draft pick (2016) and farmhand. “We had some unbelievable chances that on a normal night go in.”
The Lightning (10-8-5) went a combined 0-for-5 on the powerplay against Colorado and Arizona. When a typically scintillating powerplay does not click, coach Jon Cooper would like to see the five-on-five attack pick up the slack. That did not happen the last two games.
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“Finding that five-on-five scoring has been tough of late,” he said. “I think some of (the lack of even strength scoring) gets masked because the power play has been really good this year. If you are not getting (many) power plays in a game, you are going to have to score five-on-five in this league. It’s just been tough for us. It’s not like the guys have not been trying.”
The Penguins (10-10-1) arrive at Amalie in the midst of a 2-4-1 stretch. The overtime loss was at Nashville on Tuesday night. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel are tied for the team lead with 24 points. Crosby leads with 13 goals.
Vasilevskiy is slated to make his Amalie season debut for the Bolts after playing at Carolina and Colorado. Nikita Kucherov, who had six points (2-4) in the win at Carolina, leads the NHL in scoring with 37 points. His 15 goals are tied for second in the league.
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