Kessel skated like a man on a mission throughout the game, at one point having almost half as many scoring chances to his credit as the entire Tampa lineup. What isn’t impressive was the team’s performance Wednesday night at Amalie Arena that resulted in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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That, said head coach Jon Cooper, is unacceptable.
“You need more production than the same guys each night”, Cooper said. Part of a dominant third line (along with Nick Bonino and Kessel), Hagelin has been phenomenal this postseason. They’re down 2-1 and I’m sure there’s not a lot of panic over there.
Since dropping the series opener on home ice, the Penguins have bounced back with a hustle the Lightning have been unable to match. The Penguins won the game 4-2.
If they don’t find another gear on Friday night, the Eastern Conference final could slide away from them quickly.
Tampa Bay had emerged victorious in its previous five while averaging 3.6 goals per game but has otherwise struggled to generate offense, tallying two or fewer goals in nine of its last 20 contests, and has averaged just 22.5 shots on goal over its last four games.
Johnson described the Lightning defensive effort as trying to put a round peg in a square hole. D Olli Maatta was a healthy scratch for Pittsburgh, which opted for D Justin Schultz for the second game in a row – Schultz has played in only four games in the playoffs before Wednesday.
“Overall, it’s just a lack of quality right now”, Stralman said. “So I think that’s a big reason why we’re where we are today”. “He’s just smart with the puck and he’s going to make the right decision”. It’s only going to get better for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2016 NHL Playoffs.
“Phil was great tonight, with his speed and creating chances”, Crosby said.
The Lightning chased the rest of the game and that was that.
With the series tied at 1-1, momentum is up for grabs with this game.
In other words, a faster team, one that certainly was on display for all to see Wednesday.
“I don’t know”, Kessel said after a short burst of laughter.
As the series shifted to the Sunshine State, the Tampa Bay Lightning had home ice advantage, but the Pittsburgh Penguins were quick to get it back with a second straight victory, this one in the form of a 4-2 win in Tampa.
The Lightning’s Ondrej Palat scored the Bolts second goal at the 18:16 mark after which the Bolts pulled Andrei Vasilevskiy and went with the extra attacker but were unable to capitalize.
Crosby and Kunitz also scored for the Penguins. He and the Sharks now return to that scene in San Jose for game 3 and 4, where Team Teal hasn’t lost a game since the first round.
Lineup changes: After missing Game 2 because of the flu, Lightning forward Ryan Callahan will be back in the lineup for Game 3. And so and so on.
“I think now that we’ve played them two times, we know a little bit more what to expect, ” Lightning coach John Cooper said. “He’s our leader and we believe in him and we believe in everyone here”.
None of this is new. First, the X-rays were negative (an indication that there’s no structural damage) and now we’re talking about a return to practice, which would of course mean a return to game action a lot sooner than later for No. 30.
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But the truth of the matter is that at least this spring they have not played a team like the Penguins, and they are realizing what the Rangers and Capitals had to learn the hard way that running uphill makes wins very, very difficult.
