The Tampa Bay Lightning started their home-heavy month of November by going 2-1-1 on the opening four game homestand. Three of the four opponents came in sitting in playoff spots and the Lightning will have to take coming away with five out of the eight possible points.
One major concern coming out of the four games was the performance of the Lightning special teams. Special teams crushed the Lightning Tuesday night against Edmonton after Tampa Bay outscored the Oilers 2-0 at even strength.
“Special teams were clearly not in our favor tonight” said Jon Cooper following the loss. Edmonton scored on each of their first two power plays and scored on the first Lightning power play of the game as well.
Edmonton has one of the best power plays in the league and giving up two goals to them on a given night is going to happen sometimes. The real back breaker was giving up a shorthanded goal for the third time in the homestand.
The Lightning power play has connected on four of their last 20 chances in the four games. Clicking at a 20% rate over a four-game stretch is not terrible but giving up three shorthanded goals has been where they have really been burnt and makes the power play feel like it has been even worse than the numbers reflect.
The Lightning are 4-20 on the Power Play this month. #GoBolts
— Channelside Sports Network (@chsidesports) November 9, 2022
On top of a sputtering power play, even the penalty kill has not been great. They surrendered four goals while on the penalty kill over those games as well. A huge part of the struggling penalty kill has been missing Anthony Cirelli, especially in the faceoff circle. Tampa Bay won just two out of seven faceoffs Thursday night while shorthanded.
A positive from the homestand was the performance from what has emerged as Tampa Bay’s top line. The trio of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel collected a total of 21 points between them on the homestand.
Kucherov has been on an especially hot streak, currently with the league’s longest point streak at 11 games. Kucherov now finds himself third in the league in scoring and has been held without a point in just one game so far this season.
Nikita Kucherov is leading the NHL with 11 straight games with a point with his assist on the Brandon Hagel goal.#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/na9gyIbefB
— Channelside Sports Network (@chsidesports) November 9, 2022
After one game on the road in Washington, the Lightning will return home for three more games at home beginning Sunday night against Washington, followed by Dallas and Calgary coming to town on Tuesday and Thursday.
