By Jake Ricker
The Tampa Bay Lightning looked to get back on track against a struggling Canadiens team. Here is how they stacked up in last night's matchup.
Hagel-Point-Kucherov
Eyssimont-Cirelli-Chaffee
Stamkos-Paul-Sheary
Glendening-Motte
Hedman-Raddysh
Fleury-Cernak
Lilleberg-Perbix
Crozier
Vasilevskiy.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Lightning's 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens.
Defense and Turnovers
This has been an issue for the Lightning all season long, and it unfortunately continued tonight. The Lightning are constantly turning the puck over in their own zone, which is leading to great opportunities for their opponents. While some of this can be excused from young players like Emil Lilleberg, it is happening way too often.
It would seem most of these issues are caused by the style of defense the Lighting have played this year; look at the first goal of the game. A turnover in the offensive zone leads to a 2-on-1, and Hedman tries to take his man instead of playing the pass, and the Canadiens have a breakaway; players are constantly out of position, and it happens even more frequently to younger players.
This is a more difficult fix, but it is something that needs to be a top priority moving forward because if the Canadiens can take advantage of the Lightning's mistakes, teams like the Leafs certainly will.
Second Period
After what was an abysmal first period, the Lightning bounced back. They are able to score two goals and tie the game. This is what has made the season so confusing. The Lightning looks to have two different sides, and when the puck is dropped, you never know what you gonna get.
The Lightning did everything right in this period. They kept chances to the outside and had lots of zone time, outshooting the Canadiens 13-6. This also seemed to be when the team was most physical, and the Lightning have tended to play well when the team is throwing the body. If the team is able to turn out these kinds of periods more consistently, they can absolutely make a run for the postseason and do some damage. But they have to be consistent. Tyler Motte
Overall, Motte did not have a great game, but he had a crucial goal for the Lightning in the third period. Shorthanded after a tripping call, the Lighting were on the ropes already down one. Motte is able to grab the puck and put on the jets to get himself on a partial breakaway and slip the puck into the back of the net, tying the game shorthanded. That's something even Kucherov has struggled doing this season.
This was a key goal for the Lightning, and good players score clutch goals even when they might not be playing well on paper. Motte has been pretty good for the Lightning overall, and if he can continue to help the Lightning lock things down on the penalty kill, he will be a valuable asset down the stretch against top power play teams.
Final Thoughts
This game was far from pretty. In fact, it was stressful. But the Lightning get clutch goals from Stamkos and Hedman to get that extra point and keep themselves right in the thick of this wild card race. The Lightning will now have four days off before their next game, so they will have a chance to get healthy and work hard on correcting some of the mistakes that they have battled all season. There is still very little room for error.
Next game - March 7th @ Amalie Arean 7:00 PM EST
Three Stars
Media's three-stars
1. Motte (1G)
2. Caufield (1A)
3. Cirelli (1G)
Our three-stars
1. Motte (1G)
2. Cirelli (1G)
3. Hedman (2 BLK)
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