In 25 games in the friendly confines of Amalie Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning are 20-4-1. They’ve ripped off 12 straight wins and are scoring a whopping 4.08 goals per game. A lot of that is due to their power play that is clicking at 31% while they are killing off 81.6% of the penalties against them. If they could translate that success to the road, they’d be right up their with the Boston Bruins for the best record in the league.
Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to match that success when they’re staying in hotels across North America. With their loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night, their road record has fallen to 12-12. They are scoring just 3.04 goals per game and while they are still decent on the power play at 22%, it’s not as effective as it is at home. The same goes with their penalty kill which is at 79.5%.
At even strength they haven’t been the same either. They generate fewer scoring chances on the road (29.43 per 60 minutes vs. 35.94 at home) and fewer quality chances (12.63 HDCF/60 vs. 17.17 at home). Oddly enough, defensively they are about the same in high-danger chances allowed (11.72/60 on the road and 11.06/60 at home) while they are allowing almost 3 fewer scoring chances on the road.
Of their 12 road wins, exactly one (January 16th against Seattle) has come against a team that is in the top-10 points wise in the league. Of their 16 remaining road games 7 of them are against top-10 teams. In fact, they have have one of the hardest scheduled overall down the stretch.
Published this earlier but sharing here…because sharing is careing. pic.twitter.com/UGA5cdWz60
— NHLtoSeattle (@NHLtoSeattle) February 6, 2023
If they can’t figure out a way to play more consistently, and frankly, better, on the road, it’s going to be a short run through the playoffs. The good news is that they have a couple of months to figure it out. Over the last few years, when given time, the Lightning have figured most of their problems out. Hopefully, they can do the same with their road woes.
Lightning / NHL News
Lightning lose to Panthers, 7-1 [Raw Charge]
We have a candidate for worst game of the season. Burn the tape and move on to the Sharks tonight.
Pat Maroon’s broadcasting debut intense, nerve-wracking, fun [Tampa Bay Times]
Pat Maroon had never been shy around a microphone. Over the All-Star weekend, he had a chance to work on his broadcasting chops as ESPN had him working the skills competition.
WE DID IT, #BoltsNation!
We FINALLY got him!
It’s only taken 4+ years of the #BoltsBlockParty, but Coby & I scored @BraydenPoint19 on this episode!
We discuss Crocs & Subway sandwiches, his struggle with time, how he would undress from his suit & more!https://t.co/5aeLKGnDt7 pic.twitter.com/083BmtJRUS— Greg “3LG” Wolf (@GregWolfTBL) February 6, 2023
AHL Pacific Division wins All-Star Tournament [The AHL.com]
Darren Raddysh had two goals while Alex Barre-Boulet and Gabriel Dumont each had an assist for the North Division in their three round-robin games.
State of the AHL highlights [Patrick Williams Twitter]
AHL president and CEO Scott Howson briefed the media prior to their All-Star game on Monday. For a league that was at way more risk than the NHL during the COVID-related attendance restrictions, they seem to have bounced back and stabilized over the last two seasons. With that being said, they will be looking to grow the league revenues moving forward.
Williams was a guest on the most recent edition of Syracuse Speaks as well.
#SSonFPH | On this week’s episode of the Syracuse Speaks podcast, @FPHCrunch is joined by @pwilliamsAHL to discuss the Crunch, All-Star weekend, and the AHL Hall of Fame. Have ahttps://t.co/YxG0quhBqt
— Field Pass Hockey (@FieldPassHockey) February 5, 2023
Jamie Benn joins the 1,000 game club [Defending Big D]
Benn joins Steven Stamkos and 74 other player as the only ones in NHL history to hit the 1,000 game mark for just one organization.
Patrick Kane undecided on waiving no-movement clause [ESPN]
Should the Chicago winger decide he’s willing to move on from the only organization he’s played for, he will likely be able to choose where he goes. A few teams have reportedly reached out to Chicago GM Kyle Davidson already and he’s passed that information along to Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson.
NHL in talks to bring games to Australia [The Sydney Morning Herald]
It would be an interesting logistical challenge to stage a series of NHL games on the other side of the world, especially in a country where hockey is a bit of a niche sport. That being said, it would be pretty awesome to see a NHL game in Australia.
