By Jake Ricker
The Tampa Bay Lightning looked to bounce back after a brutal 9-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Here is how they stacked up in last night's matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
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Here are the biggest takeaways from the Lightning's 4-2 loss to the Senators.
Fast Start
Just like they did against the Panthers, the Lightning got off to a great start in the first period. For the first 5 minutes, the Lightning outshot the Senators 7-2. They also held the puck in the offensive zone for extended periods and had Anton Forsberg sliding out of position.
Despite these chances, Forsberg and the Senators defense was able to hold off the lightning. And unfortunately for the Lightning.... everything began to fall apart quickly.
Odd-man Rushes
After the Lightning had a great 5 minutes to start the game, their defensive system began to break down, and the Lightning surrendered multiple odd-man rushes throughout the game. Mathieu Joseph was one of the beneficiaries of these breakdowns and was able to make the Lightning paw scoring twice.
Joseph wasn't the only Senator with speed, making all of these odd-man rushes even more dangerous than normal. The Lightning defense was able to fend them off on occasion, but because they constantly found themselves behind the play, it took Hedman pushing Cirelli to give him a speed boost to make a play and break up the attack.
While the senators definitely were able to create more odd-man rushes with their speed, if the Lightning keep finding themselves out of position, they will still give up odd-man rushes. Something they can not do constantly if they want a shot at making a run this year. Lack of Effort
As mentioned earlier, the Lightning had a great start to this game, which was what Lightning fans hoped for after what happened against the Panthers. However, that effort seemed to evaporate after those first 5 minutes. And the Lightning were able to get some chances and make it a two goal game, but it was just too little too late.
We have seen this team play great hockey, and they all know they can play better, but they have to show it out on the ice. Just look at how they played against the Avalanche and Bruins. Two quality opponents that they fought hard against and pulled out the victory.
Final Thoughts
This one stings more because of the previous loss to the Florid Panthers, but these things do happen, and luckily, the Lightning had put themselves in a position where they could lose a game or two. That luxury is gone, and these next three games for the Lightning will be crucial.
The Lightning will play the Capitals on Thursday and the Islanders followed by the Devils on a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. All three of these teams are right behind the Lightning in a tight wild-card race. Winning these games will go a long way in helping the Lightning secure a playoff spot. Losing them and they just might be out of a playoff spot.
Three Stars
Media's three-stars
1. Joseph (2G)
2. Stutzle (1G,1A)
3. Chaffee (1G)
Our three-stars
1. Chaffee (1G)
2. Stutzle (1G,1A)
3. Joseph (2G)
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