.By Michael Wax
The Lightning fell 5-2 to the Montreal Canadiens in their last game of 2024.
"We've taken a step back in the mentality of how we play," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said.
"I wouldn't say they were better than us, we just caused everything," said Brandon Hagel.
Here are three things we saw from the loss:
Turn It Off and On Again
The Bolts had an uncharacteristically poor first period against the Rangers, and while the rest of the game still wasn't up to their standard, it was a vast improvement.
"They played well defensively and, us, we tried to make the better play all of the time," said Victor Hedman. "We had a lot of turnovers, and they came the other way, so something to clean up moving forward."
Tonight, a similar situation occurred, with the Lightning struggling early and allowing the Canadiens to dictate play.
Tampa ended up leading the shot counter 10-9, but a lot seemed off about their game. Passes weren't crisp, players were falling, and the apparent lack of communication allowed Montreal to get their game going in a way the Lightning couldn't.
"When you try to manufacture plays out of nothing, that's when trouble starts," said Cooper.
The Lightning need to avoid this trend, because the West Coast trip has not been kind to slow starters.
Weird
You rarely see Nikita Kucherov along the goal line, but the smartest player in the league found a new way to get the Lightning on the scoresheet.
With the Lightning down two with under two minutes in the second period, the Lightning finally had some offensive pressure. When Darren Raddysh unloaded a one-timer that Montembeault stopped, everyone thought the play was over. However, as everyone stopped, Nikita Kucherov made his way down towards the goal line and found an uncovered puck behind Montembeault. Kucherov stuffed the puck into the net to get Tampa back on the scoresheet after a lackluster period of play.
Kucherov continues to find new ways to score, and this was certainly one of his most unique.
Pushback
The Bolts had every opportunity to tie the game in the third, especially with Kucherov's aforementioned 3-2 goal potentially giving them some life at the end of the second. Instead, a there was a lack of pressure and pushback that made it seem like the Lightning had fallen into the Canadiens' trap.
"We just need to be better," said Hagel. "I think the group in here knows that."
Despite being down for the whole 3rd period, the Lightning were outshot 14-5 by Montreal. This, coupled with a power play that only managed to get one shot on net, led to a frustrated crowd and an even more frustrated team.
"You give up 80 shots in two games, good luck winning hockey games," said Hagel.
Overall, it was a disappointment to end out the year on home ice, and the Bolts have their annual California road trip up next. There's still some breathing room in the standings, but they'll need to take care of business.
Comments