The Lightning return to Benchmark International Arena for one game at home Tuesday before heading back out on the road for a five-game trip.
The Bolts come in riding a seven-game win streak, including a sweep of their three-game California road trip against the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. They’re expecting little breathing room Tuesday against the Avalanche, who are coming off their first loss in 11 games.
“If you look at us as a whole, what we have, I feel like we’ve been incredibly consistent, but we really haven’t because we were consistently bad for the first seven games,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “But I think after those first seven games, we’ve been a pretty darn consistent team, and it’s not so much about what we score, but what we keep out.”
While special teams remain important, Cooper said he focuses on 5-on-5 play, particularly goals for and against when assessing how well his team is performing. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, the Avalanche rank best in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals against, with the Lightning fourth after 41 games.
“I know that we’ve been really known as a power-play team for a long time, and it’s now starting to get back to where it was,” said Cooper. “But the other big one is having a really good PK. To me, that’s a big indicator. But our 5-on-5 play, that’s the big one. Most of the game is played that way.”
© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesThe Avalanche lead the league in penalty-kill success but rank 26th on the power play (16.3%). They’ve allowed five shorthanded goals, the second-most in the NHL. The Lightning are fifth on the penalty kill and 16th on the power play (19.5%).
“I think you get judged in the big picture by your wins and losses,” Cooper added. “When you’re in the trenches, every playoff team is going to lose 20-plus games during the year. It’s not always about the result — I’ll be disappointed if we get outplayed.”
For the players, matchups like these provide an extra boost, a taste of what the playoffs feel like. The Lightning want to keep improving their home record, which currently sits at an uncharacteristic 11-9-0.
“These are the ones you’re excited for. It’s gonna be a playoff game,” said Brandon Hagel. “It’s a team that you’ll potentially have to beat in the playoffs if you want to get there. And there’s nothing better than beating the best team in the league at this point. Obviously, it’s a measuring stick, but at the same time, we’re at home playing against the best team in the league. As a player, you live for those games.”
Puck drop is at 7p.m. ET.