Morning After Thoughts will be an ongoing series throughout the playoffs where I can ramble on about the most recent Lightning playoff game. Sometimes it will be structured. Sometimes it will just be a stream of consciousness. Hopefully, I’ll be able to capture what many Lightning fans are thinking, but also provide some perspective after having time to adjust back to normal after a game, take a breath, and take a deeper look at the numbers.
Down 3-0 in the series, the Lightning showed the intensity and desperation that was needed to keep hope alive with a 6-3 win in Game Four to keep the series going. The return of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev provided a huge boost emotionally for the team and a huge boost defensively on the ice.
It was exactly the catalyst the team needed. The hill they have to climb is still steep since they put themselves into the position where they’d need to win four in a row to win the series. It started with Game Four and they’ll have to repeat that performance three more times, including two games down in Sunrise. The question of course is if this will be false hope or an actual turning point in the series.
Throughout the first three games, a lot of my ire towards how the team was playing was that they could not find that sustained emotion and intensity a team needs and thrives on in the playoffs. You also need your best players to be your best players. While the play of the Lightning’s stars wasn’t horrible, the team needed more from them, especially with the depth players not providing much scoring.
In Game Four, the Lightning’s best players showed up to produce repeatedly. Brayden Point finished with a goal and three points. Brandon Hagel put up two goals and three points. Steven Stamkos scored two goals. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman both tallied three assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy did enough to win (which is fine after he’s put up some stellar performances that was more than enough for the team to win, but the goaltender at the other end of the ice had something to say about that).
That production will need to continue from the Lightning’s stars as well as finding more scoring from the blue line and third line. The intensity will need to continue from the top of the roster to the bottom of the roster. They’ll have to find a way to produce in Florida when they don’t control the matchups.
The Lightning aren’t out of it, but they continue to teeter on the edge of this series, despite giving us some hope with this game four win.
Let’s Go Bolts!
