5
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Lightning organization at a crossroads.
TB-1
FLA-6
Sunrise Wins the Series 4-1. Screw Sunrise.
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 37 shots for the loss. He played a good series, certainly a far better series than last season against Toronto. But, ultimately, Bobrovsky made the situational saves that Vasilevskiy did (and when he didn’t the referees just made them magically disappear).
First Period
NO SCORING
Second Period
0:45 FLA Verhaeghe (4), (Barkov, Mikkola)
12:38 FLA Barkov (1), (Ekblad, Forsling)(SH)
13:37 TB Hedman (1), (Kucherov, Hagel)
Third Period
11:06 FLA Barkov (2), (Tkachuk, Verhaeghe)
14:16 FLA Rodrigues (1), (Stenlund, Tarasenko)
16:03 FLA Verhaeghe (5), (Tkachuk)(EN)
18:50 FLA Mikkola (1), (Lundell, Luostarinen)(EN)
I will forever feel cheated by the two absolutely horseshit disallowed goals in this game. Elections in North Korea are more fair than the way Game Five was adjudicated and this series should’ve been a minimum of six games. Did the refs win the series for Sunrise? No. Did they keep it from being as competitive as it should’ve been. Yep.
The topic du jour is Steven Stamkos’ impending free agency. I am of the belief Stamkos’ play reveals how much he wants to stay in Tampa Bay and I am also of the belief the Lightning are not fools enough to let a player who will have a statue in the plaza at Channelside one day to walk away because of money. So let’s put that issue to the side.
The convenient excuse for the Lightning to make for this season is to point to injuries to Andrei Vasilevskiy at the start of the campaign and Mikhael Sergachev at the end of the campaign. That’s wholly insufficient, in my opinion, given Jonas Johansson delivered the Lightning out of the early months of the season is not too shabby standings shape and Sergachev was having a poor season before injuries finally beset him. Glib excuses should not deter the Lightning brass from making a painstaking evaluation of this organization from top to bottom. There’s plenty of blame to go around for what was, bar the month of March, the most unwatchable season of Lightning hockey in about a decade.
Julien BriseBois should cast a jaundiced eye toward whatever pro scout thought signing Conor Sheary to a multi-year deal just as Jon Cooper needs to be honest about his friend and assistant coach Jeff Blashill’s role in the precipitous fall off of the team’s defensive play. Throughout the lineup, veteran defenseman Erik Cernak looks like he has no tread left on his tires while the other “second core” contracts, Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli, ultimately underperformed expectations. And, of course, there’s the obscenity that was and is the Tanner Jeannot acquisition and contract. The Boston Bruins looked dead and buried a few years back with a lot older and less talented core than the one the Lightning have, so it’s not impossible to get this back into shape quickly. But the front office and coaching staff can’t afford to keep screwing up and have to confront their mistakes head on.
Mitchell Chaffee was -1 with 1 shot and 6 hits in 9:17. I’ve been calling for a youth movement for a couple of years now. If one comes soon, Chaffee may be a player who blossoms with a greater role and more responsibility.
Max Crozier had 2 penalty minutes, 2 shots, and 1 hit in 14:23. I admit, he handled the rigors of an elimination game better than I thought. Savvy young man needs to get bigger and stronger to stick as a NHL’er, in my opinion.
Emil Lilleberg was -1 with 2 penalty minutes, 2 shots, and 3 hits in 18:07. The role he was thrust into came with it unrealistic expectations. He showed he has a future. Now he hopefully has a chance to develop in a role more conducive to him reaching his potential.
Next up, the Lightning return several prospects to Syracuse for what hopefully will be a deep and fruitful Calder Cup playoff run. If so, I suspect more than one prospect will make clear their readiness for the next level to the front office. And, if so, the front office should listen rather than trying borderline veteran stop gaps with one foot in the career grave. The Lightning needs some players to pull a Ross Colton and beat expectations when the chance comes. If that chance never comes though, it’s a moot point. Time to give some more chances, Lightning.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
