It is not easy for me to write this article. The Tampa Bay Lightning are down 3-0 against the Florida Panthers in the first round, and, call me pessimistic, but I have a sinking feeling a sweep is imminent. The Panthers deserve all the credit that can be given because they look like a Stanley Cup contender — the team is simply built for postseason success. The Lightning, however, have not done themselves any favors.
Sure, there have been flashes of resiliency and tantalizing stretches that make you think this is the same Lightning team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Clearly, it is not. These four takeaways from the series so far showcase how the Lightning find themselves in a deep, deep hole.
Lack of Experience and Depth on Defense
General manager Julien BriseBois knew he needed to bolster the defensive core after Mikhail Sergachev sustained a season-ending injury in February. He acquired veteran Matt Dumba from the Arizona Coyotes who seemed to inject stability into a lineup that had been hemorrhaging defensemen.
But playoff hockey is a different beast altogether than the regular season, and Dumba’s presence is simply not enough to make up for the Lightning’s shallow, untested blue line.
Six defensemen dressed for the Lightning on Thursday night: Victor Hedman, Eric Cernak, Matt Dumba, Darren Raddysh, Nick Perbix, and Emil Lilleberg. Hedman has played 163 playoff games. The other five defensemen have played 149 games combined. You read that correctly. They have played 14 fewer games than Hedman. Furthermore, three of these players—Raddysh, Perbix, and Lilleberg—have played fewer than 10 playoff games.
The Lightning defensemen do not stack up to the Panthers’. The Cats do not have a defensemen with as many as miles as Hedman (Brandon Montour leads with 61 postseason games), but they also do not have any players as green as the Lightning. Every player on the Panthers’ blue line has at least 25 playoff games under his belt. Of course, a large chunk of those came from the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, but those are games that season players and prepare them for another, and hopefully more successful, postseason.
A quick glance at the 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Champion roster reveals how much experience the team has lost. Names like Ryan McDonagh, Jan Rutta, David Savard, and Luke Schenn round out an experienced blue line. That list does not include Zach Bogosian and Kevin Shattenkirk, who left Tampa Bay after the 2020 Stanley Cup.
I mean no disrespect to the current Lightning defensemen, but there is no comparing this roster to those from a few years ago. A lack of experience is rearing its powerful head and toppling this dynasty before our eyes.
Where is Nikita Kucherov?
Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans are wondering where Mitch Marner is, with some even calling him “the invisible man.” Now, Leafs fans are a different breed, and I would not label Nikita Kucherov invisible. As an unbiased hockey fan though, one who has continuously praised Nikita Kucherov this season, I have to ask: Where is he? With three assists, he looks like a shell of himself. Turnovers lead to prime scoring chances for the Panthers. Poor body language screams through the screen that Kucherov is frustrated. Lackadaisical turns in the offensive and defensive zones make it look like he is taking a skate through the Skating Ribbon in Chicago (a stellar date spot for any locals).
Related: Panthers Take Commanding Lead With Game 3 Victory Over the Lightning
I will not make any excuses by theorizing he is injured or anything like that. What I can say though is that after posting 100 assists and 44 goals in the regular season, pacing the NHL, the Lightning cannot win with him notching a measly three assists. This is a man with 163 points in 145 playoff games.
Power Play Woes
The “hockey gods” were looking down on the Lightning at the start of game three by gracing them with two power plays before the 10 minute mark. The Panthers killed both and stole the momentum. Similarly, in game two, Eetu Luostarinen took a double minor to start the third period. Tied 2-2, the Lightning had the perfect opportunity to take the lead. Instead, a lacklustre power play, once again, handed the Panthers all the momentum.
The Lightning are two for 12 on the power play in this series, including going one for six in game two. At an abysmal 16%, it is a precipitous drop for a team that ended the regular season leading the league at 28.6%.
All three games have essentially been one-goal games (Matthew Tkachuk’s empty net goal last night made it 5-3). The power play must deliver when games are that tight. An extra goal or two can be the difference between a win and a loss, or, at the very least, between generating and surrendering momentum.
Bobrovsky Outplaying Vasilevskiy
This is not so much a criticism of Andrei Vasilevskiy as it is a tip of the cap to Sergei Bobrovsky. Vasilevskiy has played well, maybe not quite as well as we have seen in the past, but the losses cannot be pinned on him. However, Bobrovsky is outplaying Vasilevskiy and winning games for the Panthers. Ten-bell save after ten-bell save are making me think, as Elliotte Friedman said, that Bobrovsky drinks from the fountain of youth right before the playoffs begin.
Bobrovsky is 15-6 since the Panthers’ magical playoff run last season. He looks, dare I say, even better so far this postseason. He is the most valuable player of this series so far.
Again, the Lightning’s series deficit is not Vasilevskiy’s fault. He has played a lot of playoff hockey over the past five seasons. He is coming off back surgery and never quite looked back in form in the regular season. All that being said, when we look at why the Lightning are losing, we must admit that Bobrovsky is playing better than Vasilevskiy.
The Uphill Battle
Okay, I apologize. That was a lot of negative energy, but I needed to share what has been frustrating me over these three games. The Lightning now must win four in a row to advance. The good news is three of these four shortcomings are fixable. Kucherov, the power play, and Vasilevskiy can all catch fire. Right now, in my opinion, that is the team’s only hope.
