Stormbreaker
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- Apr 2, 2012
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2018-2019 General Lightning Discussion
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Edmonton's depth isn't concerning though. This gives us two strong pairings to try to shut him down.
DistantThunderRep
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
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I was talking to a friend at the bar last night and realized we are carrying 9 NHL defenseman. Seriously, wtf. But apparently the Leafs and Jets are deeper.
TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
JDBolt
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- Oct 14, 2017
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Sounds good to me. Coburn + Girardi was the worst looking pairing we've seen this season imo, and Serg likely wasn't on the typical "rest the veteran" break; it seemed more of an "observe the assertiveness and tenacity the rest of the team is playing with, and do that" type, so maybe it was enough to clear his head..
Not shocked, looks to me like Cooper is doing exactly what I said he needed to do, set up a rotation. The real question is how big the rotation is, does Stralman, Hedman, and McDonagh get a night off also or does it reset back to Cernak?
TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
I'll bet anything it will reset back to Cernak. Strålman needs the game time from being out so long with injury and Hedman and McDonagh probably don't need any sort of break.
Bolt32
Registered User
Mcdonagh or Hedman you never, never give them a game off unless it is a family emergency for them or due to injury concerns. They are a staple. Stralman I would almost put in that realm as well. Everyone else......well, they are up for grabs.
These Are The Days
Oh no! We suck again!!
Also I'd like to take a moment to give Coop some love for putting on master class for TOI distribution. Heddy gets 20-24 minutes whereas last year it was 25-30. Now the advent of Ryan McDonagh is gonna do that for you. It's not a luxury we had in all of last year. But the point is Hedman and McDonagh are gonna be fresher than daisies come playoff time because if you take the potential 300-400 or so minutes they probably won't be playing (but could) and you'll see that is roughly 16 games worth of TOI based on a 25 minute average. 300 less minutes it's 12 games based on that average. Small numbers add up very quickly over the course of a season. They will be absolutely ready for 30 minutes a night without being any worse for wear by April assuming we do not historically collapse and miss the playoffs.
I'm casting an early vote for "This isn't even my final form" as a potential playoff theme -once again assuming we make it. I can't decide an lowly babyfaced rookie Hedman becoming the Thor-like God we see today or an lowly Magikarp becoming Gyrados
I'm casting an early vote for "This isn't even my final form" as a potential playoff theme -once again assuming we make it. I can't decide an lowly babyfaced rookie Hedman becoming the Thor-like God we see today or an lowly Magikarp becoming Gyrados
Last edited:
The Gongshow
Fire JBB
McDonagh has been our best defensemen so far this season. He's been fantastic. Happy to have him, takes a lot off Hedman's plate which will help us a lot throughout the season and playoffs.
LTIR Trickery
Plz stop pucks
TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
I wouldn't be surprised to see Koekkoek get moved though keeping him around for injury insurance would also make sense. Besides, I would like to see him get a better chance at a less deep team.
But Coburn has been playing very well this season and he always gets even better during the playoffs plus he can comfortably play either RD or LD so he's flexible with whomever gets rotated into that third pairing. So I don't see him being moved at the deadline.
LTIR Trickery
Plz stop pucks
I don't think hes doing anything different with the defensive minutes, only that the pool of talent has improved drastically. Gone are the 18 minute nights of Sustr, and in are the 18 minute nights of Cernak, Stralman, and more.
The Macho King
Back* to Back** World Champion
- Jun 22, 2011
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Let's be clear, the biggest addition is McDonagh, and he's definitely shaving off ice time that would have gone to Hedman and Strals, and helping to ween in Cernak.
TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
Sky04
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2009
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Good to see but it's obvious the vets don't want to sit in contract years, it has a negative connotation with bad play.
Trendspotting: Tampa Bay's power surge, Sergei Bobrovsky's renaissance and more
This week, we're taking a closer look at the team blessed with the most lethal offensive attack in the game, a goalie that's got a lot on the line this season, and a team that continues to exceed expectations.
Tampa Bay's power surge
Undoubtedly one of the biggest storylines in NHL circles this season has been the spike in scoring. Thanks to some combination of smaller goalie equipment, tighter officiating that makes it more difficult to slow down the top players, and teams generally getting smarter about how they construct their lineups, we're seeing offensive numbers reminiscent of a bygone era.
Jeremy Colliton's journey to become Blackhawks head coach
From skating with Sidney Crosby at the 2005 WJC to a concussion-shortened career to a stint in Sweden, the 33-year-old has trod a captivating path.
No team better encapsulates where the league is right now than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are currently in the process of lapping the field all across the board. Having rattled off 11 wins in the past 12 games, they're now sitting atop the entire league with 58 points and a whopping plus-48 goal differential through 37 games. Most importantly, they're keeping some breathing room between themselves and Toronto in the Atlantic Division, which will help them avoid a nightmarish first-round playoff matchup against either the Leafs or the Bruins.
Any way you slice it, the Lightning have been truly unstoppable this season. At five on five, they're in the top three in shot share, goal differential, actual goals generated and expected goals scored. On the power play, only the Winnipeg Jets create goals more efficiently on a per-minute basis, and no team has scored more total goals overall.
When scanning their lineup for holes to be potentially targeted by opponents, there doesn't appear to be anything abundantly glaring that can be exploited. Because of Brayden Point's emergence as a bona fide star, Jon Cooper and his staff now have the ability to mix and match by rotating two especially lethal scoring lines. By stripping opponents of the luxury of being able to gear up the entire defensive game plan toward slowing down just the one group, the Lightning essentially force other teams into the perilous position of having to pick their poison.
The top-six gets the lion's share of accolades and offensive production, but what vaults the Lightning to the next level is actually their bottom-six group. Thanks to a sparkling draft record over the years, Tampa Bay is able to supplement their top players and round out the lineup with a medley of young, effective, cost-controlled pieces.
Listen »
Whether it's Mathieu Joseph, Anthony Cirellior Yanni Gourde, the Lightning are stacked with versatile wingers that could comfortably play significantly bigger roles on nearly any other team in the league. But because of how deep the Lightning are up front, they're tasked with the role of feasting on the remaining scraps that are left over for them when the top lines are finally done eating. Despite not getting to stack up large point totals as a result, they're still immensely valuable to the overall operation; every time they're on the ice they're wreaking havoc, drawing penalties and keeping the opposition busy while the top lines get a breather.
For the time being, there's no real drop-off throughout the lineup regardless of who's out there, and if there happens to be an injury down the road, there are a number of viable internal options to step up and contribute. Because of all those chess pieces at his disposal, Cooper has experimented with various combinations throughout the season, and the only ones that have dipped below the 50-percent mark in terms of shot share and expected goals have been the ones involving Ryan Callahan. Barring a series of poorly timed injuries, there's no reason why he should be playing to begin with when the games matter most, which conveniently gets rid of the most obvious weak link of the bunch.
Put all of it into one complete package, and you've got a team that's trending toward offensive totals that we haven't seen in 30-something years:
Tampa Bay Lightning2018-194.08Washington Capitals2009-103.82Ottawa Senators2005-063.80Toronto Maple Leafs2018-193.78Detroit Red Wings2005-063.67Buffalo Sabres2006-073.63Washington Capitals2018-193.60New Jersey Devils2000-013.60Tampa Bay Lightning2017-183.54Winnipeg Jets2018-193.53Detroit Red Wings2008-093.52Ottawa Senators2006-073.49Carolina Hurricanes2005-063.49
In fact, the last time a team had a higher goals-per-game average than what the Lightning have done thus far was all the way back in 1995-96, when a Pittsburgh Penguins team that boasted Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagrat the peak of their powers (not to mention Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, and Sergei Zubov) scored a ridiculous 4.41 times per game.
Yet as impressive as they've been early on, the Lightning ultimately have much larger long-term goals than just securing the regular-season scoring title. With the Washington Capitals having finally exorcised their playoff demons last year, arguably no team's current core carries more playoff baggage than Steven Stamkos & Co. do at the moment.
The good news is that this year's version looks like it potentially has another gear to hit. Given just how close they've come in the past, being loaded with that extra bit of offensive talent could very well be the difference between once again falling short in excruciating fashion and finally getting over the hump to win it all.
This week, we're taking a closer look at the team blessed with the most lethal offensive attack in the game, a goalie that's got a lot on the line this season, and a team that continues to exceed expectations.
Tampa Bay's power surge
Undoubtedly one of the biggest storylines in NHL circles this season has been the spike in scoring. Thanks to some combination of smaller goalie equipment, tighter officiating that makes it more difficult to slow down the top players, and teams generally getting smarter about how they construct their lineups, we're seeing offensive numbers reminiscent of a bygone era.
Jeremy Colliton's journey to become Blackhawks head coach
From skating with Sidney Crosby at the 2005 WJC to a concussion-shortened career to a stint in Sweden, the 33-year-old has trod a captivating path.
The top moments in hockey in 2018
It was a year of tragedy, triumph and, OK, a few unwanted licks. Here's a glance back at 12 moments most worthy of commemoration.
These senior hockey players found a frozen fountain of youth
The Gray Wolves, an over-50 -- sometimes way-over-50 -- hockey club, feature a cast of characters that includes a 95-year-old World War II veteran, a TV weatherman, an attorney who's also a mother of seven and a pastor who swears like a sailor.
No team better encapsulates where the league is right now than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are currently in the process of lapping the field all across the board. Having rattled off 11 wins in the past 12 games, they're now sitting atop the entire league with 58 points and a whopping plus-48 goal differential through 37 games. Most importantly, they're keeping some breathing room between themselves and Toronto in the Atlantic Division, which will help them avoid a nightmarish first-round playoff matchup against either the Leafs or the Bruins.
Any way you slice it, the Lightning have been truly unstoppable this season. At five on five, they're in the top three in shot share, goal differential, actual goals generated and expected goals scored. On the power play, only the Winnipeg Jets create goals more efficiently on a per-minute basis, and no team has scored more total goals overall.
When scanning their lineup for holes to be potentially targeted by opponents, there doesn't appear to be anything abundantly glaring that can be exploited. Because of Brayden Point's emergence as a bona fide star, Jon Cooper and his staff now have the ability to mix and match by rotating two especially lethal scoring lines. By stripping opponents of the luxury of being able to gear up the entire defensive game plan toward slowing down just the one group, the Lightning essentially force other teams into the perilous position of having to pick their poison.
The top-six gets the lion's share of accolades and offensive production, but what vaults the Lightning to the next level is actually their bottom-six group. Thanks to a sparkling draft record over the years, Tampa Bay is able to supplement their top players and round out the lineup with a medley of young, effective, cost-controlled pieces.
Listen »
Whether it's Mathieu Joseph, Anthony Cirellior Yanni Gourde, the Lightning are stacked with versatile wingers that could comfortably play significantly bigger roles on nearly any other team in the league. But because of how deep the Lightning are up front, they're tasked with the role of feasting on the remaining scraps that are left over for them when the top lines are finally done eating. Despite not getting to stack up large point totals as a result, they're still immensely valuable to the overall operation; every time they're on the ice they're wreaking havoc, drawing penalties and keeping the opposition busy while the top lines get a breather.
For the time being, there's no real drop-off throughout the lineup regardless of who's out there, and if there happens to be an injury down the road, there are a number of viable internal options to step up and contribute. Because of all those chess pieces at his disposal, Cooper has experimented with various combinations throughout the season, and the only ones that have dipped below the 50-percent mark in terms of shot share and expected goals have been the ones involving Ryan Callahan. Barring a series of poorly timed injuries, there's no reason why he should be playing to begin with when the games matter most, which conveniently gets rid of the most obvious weak link of the bunch.
Put all of it into one complete package, and you've got a team that's trending toward offensive totals that we haven't seen in 30-something years:
Tampa Bay Lightning2018-194.08Washington Capitals2009-103.82Ottawa Senators2005-063.80Toronto Maple Leafs2018-193.78Detroit Red Wings2005-063.67Buffalo Sabres2006-073.63Washington Capitals2018-193.60New Jersey Devils2000-013.60Tampa Bay Lightning2017-183.54Winnipeg Jets2018-193.53Detroit Red Wings2008-093.52Ottawa Senators2006-073.49Carolina Hurricanes2005-063.49
In fact, the last time a team had a higher goals-per-game average than what the Lightning have done thus far was all the way back in 1995-96, when a Pittsburgh Penguins team that boasted Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagrat the peak of their powers (not to mention Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, and Sergei Zubov) scored a ridiculous 4.41 times per game.
Yet as impressive as they've been early on, the Lightning ultimately have much larger long-term goals than just securing the regular-season scoring title. With the Washington Capitals having finally exorcised their playoff demons last year, arguably no team's current core carries more playoff baggage than Steven Stamkos & Co. do at the moment.
The good news is that this year's version looks like it potentially has another gear to hit. Given just how close they've come in the past, being loaded with that extra bit of offensive talent could very well be the difference between once again falling short in excruciating fashion and finally getting over the hump to win it all.
Stormbreaker
Registered User
- Apr 2, 2012
- 16,844
- 9,950
AlphaCatalyst
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The Macho King
Back* to Back** World Champion
- Jun 22, 2011
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- 29,312
- Status
