The Tampa Bay Lightning return from a mediocre three-game road trip with their prolific offense suddenly unrecognizable after its best goal output of the season.
The Atlantic Division club will play host Thursday to fellow Eastern Conference opponent the Pittsburgh Penguins, who arrive in Florida for the first time.
For Lightning coach Jon Cooper, his group produced some of its most fluid hockey in Friday’s trip-opening 8-2 drubbing of the host Carolina Hurricanes.
Starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, had back surgery late in training camp and was expected to be out until December, but made it back ahead of schedule to play two games already.
Nikita Kucherov scored a career-high six points and tied two franchise records Friday, while Brayden Point added five points in the rout.
The road trip was off and running … and then Colorado and Arizona happened.
Against the Western Conference teams, Tampa Bay stumbled with the puck, managing just two total goals and dropping both games: 4-1 to the Avalanche and 3-1 against the Coyotes.
After scoring a season-high eight goals to open the road swing, two in two games seemed just a pittance.
“It’s tough for us finding that five-on-five scoring,” Cooper said Tuesday after falling to 4-6-2 on the road. “I think some of it gets masked because the power play’s been really good this year. So if you’re not getting power plays in a game, it’s not going to do it for you. So you have to score five-on-five in this league. It’s just been tough for us.”
Cooper said it was not for a lack of trying.
“We had darned near 80 shot attempts tonight, basically more than double what they had, but theirs found the back of the net and ours didn’t,” he said.
While Tampa Bay returns to Florida on a two-game losing streak, the Penguins fly south after losing five of seven (2-4-1) after Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime defeat on the road against the Nashville Predators.
Having won just 10 times in 21 games, Pittsburgh has failed to capitalize on a season-high five-game winning streak from Nov. 4-14, with four of those victories on the road.
At Nashville, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust rallied the Penguins out of a two-goal deficit after one period. Malkin notched his 10th in the second frame, while Rust knotted it with his 10th early in the third.
However, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg went off on a dazzling coast-to-coast dash and beat goalie Tristan Jarry with the game-winner just 14 seconds into overtime.
Forsberg found open ice at the blue line as teammate Ryan O’Reilly, trying to stay onside, collide with Crosby, to allow the speedy Swede to spring free on Jarry.
“It’s unfortunate the way it ended,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of the non-call for interference. “It’s a game-changing moment, right? I didn’t like the opening drop of overtime. It just is what it is.”
Rust returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury.
“Always nice to score goals and get on the scoresheet when you’ve been out for a little while,” said the top-line right winger. “Hopefully, I can keep my game going in the right direction.”
The Penguins will be in Tampa again Wednesday in their second of three matchups.
–Field Level Media
