Just Lightning Things #1: Rebounding From Heartbreak

image from puckprose.com

As October slowly comes to a close, we find ourselves nearing Halloween with the 2019-20 NHL season well underway. Leading up to the first puck drop of the season, I found myself unsure if I was quite ready for another long 82-game stretch. Why, you ask? Need I bring up the infamous playoff debacle that we all, as Tampa fans, had to endure only a few months ago?

The 2018-19 Lightning season was one for the history books and arguably made them the greatest regular season team in the history of the league. The list of records and accomplishments are endless, both through personal and team achievements. The Lightning tied the NHL regular season wins record with a mind-blowing 62 victories, tied only by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. For the first time since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins, the Lightning had three players who scored 40 or more goals. They finished the regular season 21 points ahead of the second-place team, the highest margin since the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings finished 27 points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. With 128 points on the season, Nikita Kucherov dusted the previous franchise record set by Vinny Lecavalier, taking home the Art Ross Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, and the Hart Memorial Trophy. By the close of the 2018-19 regular season, the Lightning were by far the favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup and the excitement in the Tampa Bay area could not have been more electric.

image from tampabaytimes.com

And then the Columbus Blue Jackets came to Tampa. After a dominant first period by the Lightning in Game 1, the Blue Jackets, with nothing to lose, stomped their foot on the gas and never looked back. From the second period of Game 1 all the way to the end of Game 4, the Lightning looked like they never stood a chance. It did not appear to be a lack of skill or talent. How could it be? After all, they were the most dominant team in history in the regular season. It came down to a lack of hustle, a lack of hunger, and the lack of an efficient game plan to counter the Blue Jackets' formula which managed to completely dismantle the Lightning juggernaut. As Tampa Bay Lightning fans, we watched in horror as our team, the greatest in the history of the league, notched another accomplishment on their resumé: they became the first President's Cup Trophy winners to be swept in the first round of the playoffs.

image from 12up.com

Fast forward to the present. To be quite honest, I don't think I was ready for the 2019-20 season to begin. Still disappointed and disgruntled, I didn't feel prepared to allow my hopes to renew once again. This season began with the Lightning once again heavily favored to win the Stanley Cup. But we learned our lesson last season. No matter how well a team performs during the regular season, it means nothing when it comes to the playoffs. Playoff hockey is a different beast. Every team has an equal shot at taking home the cup. It's faster, more physical, more brutal. Referees swallow the whistle and things that were once penalties in the regular season may not receive the same treatment in the playoffs. All of these factors run counter to the Lightning's free-wheeling, almost globe-trotter style.

We were all wondering how the Lightning would look to start this season and now we have our answer. They are struggling. It wasn't realistic to expect that they'd start this season as strong as the last, but a 2-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators and a crushing 2-6 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at home has me scratching my head. The Lightning seem to be making the same old mistakes, completely relying on high levels of skill and offensive prowess with not enough focus on the defensive side of the ice. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, following a disappointing overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, called out his team in saying that they cannot continue to play the same way or "it's going to be a really, really, really long year."

The book is out on how to play hockey against the Tampa Bay Lightning and it was written by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets showed the entire league that the hungriest dog eats and that even the best team in history can be defeated with heart and hustle. With a lot of hockey left to play in this season, there is plenty of time for the Lightning to find their game. But the question we must all be asking ourselves is this: Will our team rest on their laurels and hope for the best? Or will they come together, take their game to the next level, and redefine themselves to push for a deep Stanley Cup run? The city of Tampa is watching.