The season has been a bit off a roller coaster for the Lightning, facing adversity early on. Their game is starting to trend in the right direction and they want it to stay that way.
The Lightning went into the holiday break on a three-game win streak that included St. Louis, Vegas, and Washington. The adversity they faced at the beginning of the season leaves them with very small room for error. Those three wins put the Bolts back in a playoff spot.
Many of their struggles have stemmed from turnovers and not being able to keep the puck out of their own net. There’s a mental component to that as well, and things can snowball quickly if they let it. Over the past week, it seems their game has started to click and those situations are happening less often.
“I feel like we’ve been doing a good job in the last couple of games simplifying our game, we’re shooting much more,” said Erik Cernak. “I think we're heading in the right direction right now. We just have to keep working on our game.”
Jon Cooper has found new line combinations that seem to be the answer, at least for the time being. Nick Paul has found his home on the top line with 1 goal and 3 assists at even strength. This gives them a chance to spread the scoring out by putting Steven Stamkos on the second line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.
“I think in the majority of our games, it hasn't really been giving up just one goal throughout the year, it’s been three or four,” Hagel said of their win in Washington.
“To be able to get that confidence knowing that we're a good enough team to shut those good teams down and those good players down, and play defensively when games turn into that, I think that’s a huge confidence booster.”
The Lightning will complete 2023 with a three-game homestand that starts Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers. They have a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday against the Rangers and Canadiens.
“We talked about it, five of six at home, we took care of three, a few really good teams in there. I think this is the push obviously, Florida. Everyone knows the standings,” said Hagel.
“Then you have the Rangers which is another team that's been doing really well this year, they have some really good players. One more before we hit the road.”
The Lightning and Panthers have become in-state rivals. Buckle up for a big night tonight. These two teams always play each other hard. After a strong start to the season, the Panthers have lost four of their last six games, struggling on their West Coast roadtrip. They did grab a win against Vegas before the break.
“We've seen a lot of them over the years, so we know what to expect. They make plays all over the ice, they're fast, skilled, they play hard,” said Anthony Cirelli.
“We've got to be ready here from the first minute of the game and try and play a full 60-minutes tonight.”