By Jake Ricker
The Lightning took on the New York Islanders last night as they looked to bounce back after a disappointing loss to the Rangers the night before. Hagel, Cirelli, and Cernak would all miss this game with injuries meaning the Lightning would go 11/7 with Bogosian, Flurrey, and Eyssimont in the lineup. Here are a few things we noticed from the loss.
Brian Elliott/Steven Stamkos
The Islanders came out swinging early in the first period, and Brian Elliott made some fantastic saves. Without Elliott, the Lightning could have found themselves in a much worse situation than just being heavily outshot after the first period. While the stat line shows six goals against, Elliott was left out to dry and was able to still make some big saves despite the circumstances.
Stamkos played in his 1,000th game, which is an impressive accomplishment. Unfortunately, Stamkos did not have the game he wanted, but to have a second Lightning player reach this milestone is a huge accomplishment for the Franchise. Stamkos has been a generational talent and a great leader. Here is too many more games, with 91 leading the team.
Injuries
While the play was not ideal, the injuries sustained by the Lightning are much more concerning. Pat Maroon and Tanner Jeannot were the two players to leave the game and not return. Maroon had a much less severe injury after taking a skate up near his elbow. It is still unknown what his injury is, but it's not expected to keep him out long-term.
Tanner Jeannot had the more pressing injury after he fell awkwardly, and his leg got twisted up underneath him. Jeannot was helped off the ice and did not return. While there is no official word on Jeannot's injury, there is more concern for him than others. Hopefully, the injury is less serious than perceived, but it would be safe to assume the Lightning need to prepare to be without Tanner Jeannot.
The Lightning already went into this game with three players held out due to injuries, and now two more have joined them. With the playoffs quickly approaching, this is the last thing you want to have happen. Expect the Lightning to limit any players who might have any sort of lingering injury until the playoffs.
Low Intensity
The Islanders were fighting to keep their playoff chances alive, and the Lightning had already punched their ticket to the postseason. You always want to show your best effort and win every game you can, but it was clear the Lightning had nowhere near the same amount of intensity as the Islanders did.
This led to the Islanders heavily outshooting the Lightning and plenty of sustained pressure by the Islanders. The Lightning did make a push in the third period, but by then, it was far too late and too little. Overall this is not a major concern for the team, though, as they have shown they can play much better when the stakes are higher.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned before, the pressing issue here is the injuries. While the Lightning want to put their best foot forward each game and build some momentum heading into the postseason, their number one concern is staying healthy. We have seen what this team is capable of, and until they prove otherwise, there is no reason to expect they will be ready in the playoffs. Move on from this game, and do not let anyone who is not 100% out on the ice.
Three Stars
Media’s three stars
1. Nelson (1G,2A)
2. Pulock (1G,1A)
3. Horvat (1G,1A)
Our three stars
1. Nelson (1G,2A)
2. Pulock (1G,1A)
3. Horvat (1G,1A)
The Lightning's next game will be against the Ottowa Senators on Thursday, April 7th, at 7:00 PM ET.
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