Half empty/Half full after TO
Posted 1:08 PM ET | Comments 0
If you were just a hockey fan, rather than a Lightning fan watching the scoreboard, last night’s game offered plenty of excitement: A lot of goals, even more chances, some real beauties, 2 on 1 chances and something as whacky as a 3 on 3. Of course, it’s hard to enjoy when the Lightning are the better team on the ice, and still fall pretty far behind early, and it actually gets worse from there. I’m sure it is little consolation to Bolts fans to hear that they saw some great goals (Frattin setting up Colborne was pretty impressive), when they were against their team. I chalk it up to a recipe of bad ingredients that ended up in a lopsided loss:
- Step 1: After falling behind, you take risks on defence, in order to give yourself a chance of scoring goals and coming back.
- Defensemen were trying to start some offense, but coach Boucher didn’t want them shooting from the point (due to the high number of blocked shots in today’s NHL). This likely lead to trying too hard, not keeping it simple, and resulted in fewer shots.
- Mix in some frustration of playing well, but losing doesn’t help.
- Add a shaky night by your goaltender
- Finished off with the bounces going to the Leafs, and Toronto doing well to capitalize on seemingly every chance they got.
For those fans who don’t want to bail on the team, and would like something positive to take away:
- The Lightning could have just as easily been winning heading into the 3rd.
- Tampa Bay could be looking at a bit of hangover from last year’s run, just like Vancouver and Boston have. Boston has started to pick it up, and hopefully the Bolts do the same.
- The Lightning are right around where they were last year – the season isn’t over.
- Lightning outshot and outblocked the Leafs.
- Jones is out, and Tyrell is in
- Ohlund is closer to coming back
- Malone should improve after he gets a few games under his belt after coming back from injury
- There is plenty of time for Yzerman to pull the trigger on a trade if it is needed.
- Washington sucks
- Step 1: After falling behind, you take risks on defence, in order to give yourself a chance of scoring goals and coming back.
- Defensemen were trying to start some offense, but coach Boucher didn’t want them shooting from the point (due to the high number of blocked shots in today’s NHL). This likely lead to trying too hard, not keeping it simple, and resulted in fewer shots.
- Mix in some frustration of playing well, but losing doesn’t help.
- Add a shaky night by your goaltender
- Finished off with the bounces going to the Leafs, and Toronto doing well to capitalize on seemingly every chance they got.
For those fans who don’t want to bail on the team, and would like something positive to take away:
- The Lightning could have just as easily been winning heading into the 3rd.
- Tampa Bay could be looking at a bit of hangover from last year’s run, just like Vancouver and Boston have. Boston has started to pick it up, and hopefully the Bolts do the same.
- The Lightning are right around where they were last year – the season isn’t over.
- Lightning outshot and outblocked the Leafs.
- Jones is out, and Tyrell is in
- Ohlund is closer to coming back
- Malone should improve after he gets a few games under his belt after coming back from injury
- There is plenty of time for Yzerman to pull the trigger on a trade if it is needed.
- Washington sucks