Pick yourself up, and do better – Ducks at Lightning preview

Game Eight: Anaheim Ducks (4-2-1) at Tampa Bay Lightning (1-4-2)

Time: 5:00 PM EST

Location: Benchmark International Arena, Cigar City, USA!

TV/Stream/Radio: Scripps, Victory+, KCOP-13, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App

Odds: Lightning -190

Know the Opponents: Pucks of a Feather

One of the things we miss most about HBO no longer doing the Road to the Winter Classic is that we don’t get the intermission speeches. Without it, we would never have this classic rant from then Washington Capitals head coach, Bruce Boudreau (warning – very explicit language)

As the Lightning struggle through their early-season woes, the “so [expletive deleted] not going right. It’s not [expletive deleted] working the last ten days. [Expletive deleted] get your heads out of your [expletive deleted] and [expletive deleted] make it work, by outworking the opposition.”

Look, that’s not just good hockey advice. That’s solid life advice.

The Lightning aren’t exactly hanging their heads right now. To their credit, they’ve never been ones to hang-dog around when things aren’t going their way. They have a tremendous sense of confidence, bordering on arrogance, about their talent and ability to play the game of hockey. Unfortunately, that can occasionally get in their way as their stoic approach to their play can lead them to not make changes until they’ve taken on too much water and the boat is tipping.

Things are not going their way right now. They have one win. They are in last place in the division. They have yet to earn a point at home. The only good thing about Nickelback being their goal song is that they haven’t scored enough to truly annoy people yet. So, it’s time for them to dig in and start outplaying the competition.

We saw it in their loss to Chicago. For the majority of the game they were dictating play. They were doing the things they needed to do to generate offense. A few key mistakes proved to be their undoing as they took their foot off the gas at the exact inopportune moment to allow Ryan Donato an unmarked look at a rebound.

The way they are playing, and with the puck gods against them (four posts in the loss) the only way they are going to double their win total is by outworking their opponents. Yes, they are talented, but talent alone isn’t enough for them to win.

Enter the Anaheim Ducks, who are off to a frisky 4-2-1 start. Much like the Blackhawks, they are at the point where the youth in their roster is starting to pay off. Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Mason McTavish are among their top scorers. It’s not just the youth, though. The grizzled veterans are chipping in as well. Mikhail Granlund has eight points while Troy Terry has seven.

Lukas Dostal is doing what they need him to do in net, posting a .904 SV% and 2.82 GAA in his five appearances. Defense hasn’t exactly been their forte as they’re allowing 3.57 goals per game, but their offense has been able to outplay any issues as they’re posting 3.71 goals per game, the fifth-best mark in the league.

Despite their record, the Ducks might be a team that can get the Lightning a little confidence in their offense. No team is allowing more scoring chances on a nightly basis than Anaheim is (34.7/60). Only the Islanders are allowing more dangerous chances at 5v5 than the Ducks 16.30/60. If the Lightning put the effort in to keep the puck in the zone, and get to the rebounds and loose pucks in the dirty areas, they could put some goals on the board.

After mixing the lines to begin the game, Coach Cooper went back to his usual top line with Nikita Kucherov rejoining Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. They generated four shots on net and a goal (Guentzel’s deflection) while having one of their better defensive efforts in the sense of limiting chances. They have to be the trio that ignites this team at 5v5, and there was a lot of spark to their game, not to mention zone time.

Dominic James had a solid debut, earning credit from his head coach for his play and effort in the face-off dot where he won 50% of his draws. Natural Stat Trick credited him with two shot attempts, and a high-danger chance in his 9:58 of ice time. Had the third period not been scattered with special teams play, he would have had a few more shifts. Even with Zemgus Girgensons returning to action, it’s very likely he earned another game with his play.

No matter how the lines play out, whoever is on the ice is going to have to put the effort in so that the Lightning can break this losing streak. If they do, maybe it’ll lead to, in Bruce Boudreau’s words, “Treats for everyone!”

Potential Lines

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Anaheim Ducks

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