Lightning aim to get on track at home vs. Devils
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils meet for the third and final time this season Saturday -- all in the first month of the season -- and after splitting the first two meetings, Tampa Bay might want to try a different start.
In both a 3-2 win in Tampa three weeks ago and a 3-1 loss on the road last weekend, the Lightning opened the game down 2-0 to the Devils after one period, an early struggle that's been a regular part of the Lightning's season so far. They're 6-4-1, but they've given up the first goal in seven of those 11 games.
"Clearly, it's troublesome," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper after another 2-0 deficit in Thursday's home shootout loss to the Bruins -- in the 10th frame of the shootout. "We fell down (Thursday) but I didn't think we should have been down 2-0. When they got their legs under them, they played well enough to win."
The Lightning had returned home after a six-game road trip, and they enter Saturday's home game with a 1-3-1 mark in their last five games. The Devils, on the other hand, have earned points in five straight, with a 3-0-2 mark that now has them at 4-2-3 and two points (and two games played) behind the Lightning.
New Jersey found itself down two goals on Thursday, rallying back to salvage a point in an overtime loss to the Panthers, and again, the message was to not dig such a hole in the first place.
"You've got to be able to come from behind in games, and to find a way to get a point down two, that's a lot of positives to take out of that," coach John Hynes said after the Panthers game. "It builds some belief that you can do that, but it's not a recipe you want to replicate."
New Jersey ranks fourth in the NHL with a 2.22 goals-against average, well ahead of Tampa Bay, which ranks 20th at 3.00. The Lightning have a great margin on the offensive end, averaging 3.18 goals per game compared to 2.33 goals for the Devils.
Tampa Bay's power play has been a strength, ranking third in the NHL with a 26.7 percent success rate -- the Lightning's penalty kill unit also ranks sixth in the league, stopping 88 percent of opposing power plays.
One upside to Thursday's shootout loss for the Lightning was a spark from forward Tyler Johnson, who scored twice, matching his total scoring from Tampa Bay's first 10 games. Getting him back in rhythm will help avoid the early dry spells that have been a problem in the Lightning's first month of the season.
The two teams won't play again this season, getting their series out of the way early, and Saturday's winner will have bragging rights, at least until the postseason, where they could meet again.
