Coming off a 2-1 loss, the Tampa Bay Lightning are not focused on their offensive attack heading into a Thursday road clash with the Calgary Flames.
It is the Lightning’s defensive game that was under scrutiny after a Tuesday defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, a result that snapped a two-game winning streak.
“I think we gave up four breakaways in the first 20 minutes,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s unacceptable, and that’s how you walk away with no points in a hockey game.”
The Lightning rattled off 30 goals in six games prior to the Edmonton contest during a streak that helped them climb the standings to the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card position.
However, that success was forgotten after a disappointing performance, even if the winning goal was an unlucky marker. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy swiped away the puck after stopping Leon Draisaitl on a breakaway, only to have it bounce off the skate of defenseman Victor Hedman and into the net.
“I think we gave up way too many odd-man (rushes) to put it on (a bad bounce). Probably unlucky how it turned out, but I think we had more in that game,” Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser said. “It was a wasted game. There were certainly points in it for us, and that’s what (stinks) right now.”
Forward Jake Guentzel heads into the Calgary clash riding a four-game goal-scoring streak for the Lightning, who are 1-1-0 to start a four-game road swing.
Calgary returns home after snapping an eight-game road losing streak (0-5-3) with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Flames went into the game with only one win in seven outings (1-4-2).
“We found a way to win that game and end that little skid that we had on the road. That’s great,” said forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who has collected three goals and four assists in a five-game point streak. “Now we’ve got a big stretch coming up at home, so we’ve got to take advantage of that.”
The Flames have earned points in each of their past seven home games (6-0-1) and boast a 10-3-1 record at the Saddledome, where they play their next five contests.
Not only did the Flames score more than three goals for the first time in 26 games (excluding the extra “goal” added in shootout wins), but they did a strong job of clamping down on defense in the third period and holding the lead.
“Third period, when the game was on the line, I thought we had some key shot blocks. That’s something that’s important for our team,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said.
Also key was the special teams battle. Calgary’s penalty kill has been an issue all season, but it was perfect for the second consecutive game, and the Huberdeau’s winning goal came during a second-period power play against the league’s best penalty kill.
“These are the goals that you want to score,” Huberdeau said. “That was a huge one for us, taking that lead. In the third period, we kind of shut down the opposition.”
