Tampa Bay, which is behind two games in its first-round series, can use its past experience to try to shift momentum.
TAMPA — The Lightning could take a lot of positives from the opening two games of their first-round series with the Panthers. However, after falling behind 2-0 after two one-goal losses on the road, there were no moral victories to carry into Game 3 Thursday at Amalie Arena.
The team that has followed its “process over outcome” mantra through good and bad times now requires results.
“We’re playing some pretty good hockey in here,” left wing Brandon Hagel said. “… However, being pretty decent will not be enough. Getting a win is good enough at this juncture in the series, and you have to go in with confidence and walk into Game 3 knowing this is far from over.
There hasn’t been much difference in the teams’ play, but Florida has grabbed control of both games early, forcing Tampa Bay to come from behind. Both teams have created limited scoring opportunities and have received excellent goaltending. They’ve played physically while keeping their emotions under control.
Ultimately, the Panthers’ clutch gene, established while getting to the Stanley Cup final last season (as the Lightning had done in prior postseasons), has made the difference.
“It’s been a Florida-Tampa series that has essentially broken apart from previous ones. Very thrilling. “You’re on the edge of your seat,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated. “There are huge saves on both ends of the ice. But, in the end, they made the last play, as they have both nights. And we can’t say, ‘Well, we were near.’ That’s what teams playing golf right now are saying.
Here are three big topics heading into Game 3.
What can Lightning learn from their past?
The Lightning dropped the first two games of the 2022 Eastern Conference final against the Rangers on the road, but rebounded at home. They defeated New York 3-2 in Game 3 and went on to win four straight to get to the Stanley Cup final for the third time in a row.
Cooper emphasized the importance of his team’s off day between Games 2 and 3.
“It was a big day in our coaching staff room,” the coach stated. “But, like that year, we thought there was a formula and it was simply a matter of following it. The one thing I despise doing in situations like this is saying, ‘Well, we did it then, we’ll do it now.’ We can do it now, but back then, we only played one game series. We did not sit here and think, ‘Oh my gosh, now we’re down two.
“We aren’t going to win two games on Thursday night. We just need to win one. That was very much the attitude we had back then, and things just kind of snowballed from there.”
The Lightning trailed 2-0 midway through Game 3 but tied it with power-play goals from Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos before winning with Ondrej Palat’s goal with 42 seconds remaining. Palat, one of the Lightning’s most crucial playoff players, has left, but this team can match the 2022 squad’s determination to win.
Where is MVP candidate Nikita Kucherov?
The Panthers, the league’s best defensive club in the regular season, have taken away Kucherov’s space on the ice, and as a result, he has probably attempted too many passes with that additional pass.
Cooper would like to see him shoot more, like he did earlier this season when he had to carry the Lightning offense.
“I truly believe Kuch is at his best when he’s shooting the puck, and I think that for all our players would help,” Cooper said in an interview. “We are shooting pucks, but they are not going into the net. That, I believe, would be a significant advantage for us, as would any additional volume at their goalie. He has made several stunning saves.
However, his percentages indicate that the more you approach him, the more likely it is that they will enter.Following a regular season in which Kucherov provided the Lightning with everything they needed when they needed it, scoring 44 goals and setting a franchise record with 144 points, the Panthers have locked him down.
He has no goals, two assists, and three shots on goal in two games after finishing the regular season with more over two points per game in the last 17. He, like the most of his teammates, has struggled to find the back of the net, with nine of his twelve tries being off target or blocked.
What’s going on with Tanner Jeannot?
The Lightning acquired Jeannot for five draft selections at the 2023 trade deadline with the intention of playing in tight-checking, gritty games like these.
He excels at dishing out punishment, so why was he strangely absent from the roster in Game 2? And why did Cooper believe that playing with one fewer forward and one more defenseman provided the Lightning the best chance of winning?
Jeannot did not have much of an impact in the final 13 games of the regular season after recovering from a lower-body injury. In a game with a total of 116 hits, his physicality did not stand out. He had only three of the Lightning’s 60 hits and played 11 shifts, the fewest on the club.
Unlike in previous postseason meetings, the Panthers have learned to be both physical and disciplined. The teams are hitting, but they aren’t punishing each other or fighting. There isn’t much use for an enforcer like Jeannot unless he stands out in other ways.
So, was Jeannot a healthy scratch for Game 2 or was he injured? He participated in full practice on Monday and showed no signs of injury.
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