Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers Game Two Preview
Who will be in the line-up tonight?
The Lightning called up Max Crozier on Monday and the rookie took regular rushes with Emil Lilleberg. Could he make his NHL playoff debut tonight? It’s possible according to head coach Jon Cooper. Nick Perbix was not at practice due to a “maintenance day” and Erik Cernak took a pretty big hit towards the end of the game. With Haydn Fleury’s status in doubt to an undisclosed injury from the end of the regular season, Crozier might have to be the next man up.
The line-up question isn’t limited to just the blueline as Tyler Motte was also missing from practice with the mysterious maintenance day designation. Conor Sheary took his spot on the fourth line in practice and would likely slot in if Motte isn’t able to go.
Injuries are part of the playoffs and very few teams have raised the Stanley Cup without having to make some line-up changes. Still, having to adjust things after Game One is rough.
Will there be more power play opportunities for the Lightning?
The refs let the teams play in Game One. In total there were just five power plays despite the teams combining for 114 hits. The Bolts had two power plays, one that was pretty ineffective in the middle of the game, and one at the end of the game that they were able to convert with a 6-on-4 advantage.
When asked about the Bolts power play, head coach Paul Maurice first deferred stating that he didn’t run the penalty kill with a smile on his face. He followed that with, “Don’t take many.”
That really is the key. If the Panthers keep giving the Lightning chances on the power play, Tampa Bay will make them pay, as they have throughout history. In 11 career playoff games against the Panthers, the Lightning power play is 35.1%. It’s a serious advantage for the Bolts, so they need to find ways to get there.
There is no secret to drawing penalties, they need possession of the puck in dangerous areas. If they can do that, and get Florida chasing them, it will lead to transgressions on their part. Keeping the physical play going can also help. The Panthers are an emotional team and can be baited into retaliatory hits. With a different officiating crew calling tonight’s game, perhaps some of the hits that the team got away with in Game One will get called tonight.
Can the Lightning get their radar recalibrated?
As Geo pointed out yesterday, the Lightning missed the net a lot. Like, a really lot. They missed the net 23 out of 37 times on unblocked shots. Now, as a whole, they tend to miss the net frequently as a lot of their shots are coming for distance and they are looking for tips and deflections. Still, missing 62% of their shots is a tough way to win. Were they trying to be too precise or were the Panthers doing a good job of not letting them get good looks at the net. Honestly, a little bit of both.
As this visual representation from Hockey Viz shows, the Bolts did get plenty of chances from good shooting locations. They just missed the net (the grey icons).
