By Jake Ricker
The Lightning looked to kick off their home stand against the Wild with a win, but after running into some penalty trouble and defensive miscues, the Lightning fell to the Minnesota Wild by a final score of 4-2.
Here are three things we saw from the loss.
Special Teams
Special teams continue to be a hot topic for the Lightning. On the power play side of things, the Lightning are still trying to find the right fit, going 0/1 in tonight's game. The Lightning often struggled to get out of their own way, failing to exit their own zone. While it will continue to take time for the Lightning's power play to improve, it is definitely an area they need to work on.
As for the Penalty kill tonight, it was solid, going 3/4 and scoring one of the Lightning goals. The shorthanded goal, which tied the game at one, really got the fans back into it and was a great play by both Cirelli and Hagel. While the Lightning have never been known for their great PK, but it looked the part tonight.
Defense
Defense continues to be an issue for the Lightning. Both of the Wild's goals came on defensive miscues, leaving Wild players wide open for easy goals. Two of those goals came on cross-ice passes the Lightning could not defend, leaving Vasilevskiy with an impossible task.
The Lightning did not have a good defense last season, and it is something GM Julien BriseBois tried to adress this offseason with players like Ryan McDonagh and JJ Moser, who have looked good, but the team is still working out the kinks in their defensive structure.
Chemistry
The Lightning has a lot of new faces on the roster, and it will take some time to get everyone on the same page. While at times the team has looked good and built some good chemistry, there are games like last night where the team looks a little dysfunctional. The Lightning had a few chances throughout this game but just could not capitalize on one.
Head coach Jon Cooper said the team played frustratedly in the third period and that the team shot themselves in the foot. There is a lot of talent on this team, but they're going to need to continue working on their chemistry to really show their full potential and not let opportunities slip away.
Final Thoughts
The Lightning had some really good moments in this game. However, some penalties and defensive miscues allowed the Wild to take back the lead and eventually secure the win. The Lightning will look to bounce back on Saturday night as they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
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