By Jake Ricker
The Lightning took on the Florida Panthers last night as they looked to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Pittsburg Penguins. This would be the fourth and final time the Lightning faced the Panthers but the first with newcomer Tanner Jeannot. Here are a few things we noticed from the loss.
Bad Start
If you didn't know who the Lightning were playing, you might have thought they were still playing the Penguins from Sunday night. After the Lightning got a few chances offensively, things broke down quickly. The Panthers capitalized on their chances, and after a blink of an eye, the Lightning trailed by three.
The Panthers then scored a fourth goal but was called back due to goaltender interference. The simple explanation for this period is the Lightning could not get into their offensive zone and kept letting the Panthers set up with ease. They also got into penalty trouble which only led to more momentum for the Panthers.
Tanner Jeannot
While Jeannot did not make a huge impact in his first game on the stat sheet, he had a good game overall. Jeannot fit right in being physical in front of the net and was solid on the PK. Don't expect Jeannot to make an immediate impact, as it will probably take a few weeks for him to fit into his new role with the Lightning.
Disallowed Goals
In a rare occurrence, we had three disallowed goals in this game. The first came against the Panthers during a goaltender interference call, as mentioned earlier. It was clear Vasilevskiys glove was pushed down and was rightfully called back.
The second goal was taken away from Nick Perbix, who made a great play to cut in front of the net. Unfortunately, Ian Cole was offside on this one, and the goal would come back. The second disallowed goal came against the Lightning late in the third period. Alex Killorn ran right into the Panther's netminder, and then Stamkos threw the puck on net for a goal. This was clear goaltender interference and was again rightfully called back. Two unfortunate situations for the Lightning, who could have really used these goals.
Missed Opportunities
After a bad 20 minutes, the Lightning started to get much better as this game went on. But they were never able to get back from the three-goal deficit. When the Lightning began to push in the third period and started picking up power plays, they were unable to capitalize on them. Despite having some chances, a lot of the shots either missed the net or were overpassed until the puck was cleared.
It seems like part of the Lightning's offensive struggles have to do with the over-passing and shots being off target. Credit does need to be given to Bobrovsky, who was solid in net. The Lightning were never able to create a lot of grade-A chances until late in the third with the extra skater, and even then could not find the back of the net.
Final Thoughts
The biggest issue in this game was the first 20 minutes. The Lightning could not make any plays defensively and were never able to get any sustained pressure. They quickly fell behind 3-0 and never came back. Point stays hot with another goal, and the good news is the Lightning did look better in the second and third. They need to play a full 60 minutes though, moving forward as they continue to play teams in the playoff race.
Three Stars
Media's three stars
1. Bobrovsky (29SV, 1 GA)
2. Staal (1G, 1A)
3. Point (1G)
Our three stars
1.Bobrovsky (29SV, 1 GA)
2. Staal (1G, 1A)
3. Point (1G)
Honorable mention - Gudas (7 blocked shots)
The Lightning's next game will be against the Pittsburg Penguins on Thursday, March 2nd, at 7:00 PM ET.
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