2019-20 Lightning Player Predictions

[The Macho King]

I remember being annoyed with Gourde in that spot when he was there for a small stint last year. Palat was also bad in it.

A name in that spot that I think could be interesting is Killorn. He's good around the net, he wasn't a terrible high bumper, and he can make a good pass.

My biggest issue with Killorn is if he gets an inch behind the play he either gets called for a trip or a hook. And if his job is scooping pucks, sometimes you're going to be a step behind.

I wouldn't mind trying Cirelli in that spot, but honestly, it's the least important spot on the PP. Everything happens in the umbrella except for when Point is shooting from the slot.

 

[LightningStrikes]

My biggest issue with Killorn is if he gets an inch behind the play he either gets called for a trip or a hook. And if his job is scooping pucks, sometimes you're going to be a step behind.

I wouldn't mind trying Cirelli in that spot, but honestly, it's the least important spot on the PP. Everything happens in the umbrella except for when Point is shooting from the slot.

Question is though: Who’s a good net front presence? Since Malone we never really had anybody there doing a good job. Maroon? Palat?

 

[The Macho King]

Question is though: Who’s a good net front presence? Since Malone we never really had anybody there doing a good job. Maroon? Palat?

We don't really need a net front presence on the top PP. It doesn't rely on screens - it relies on puck movement. We pull the goalie out of position with cross ice passes and shots from the wings/slot. We're not trying to take away his eyes, we're trying to make him move to open up holes.

We need someone to retrieve pucks and who is capable of making a decent pass to Point in the slot and Kucherov on the wing.

 

[DFC]

i think that spot on the PP1 should probably just be rotated between gourde maroon cirelli and killorn. roll with the hot hand. if the PP goes dry for a bit shake it up.

I would add Joseph to that list, particularly if he takes a step forward. I know speed and quickness aren't exactly the same, and quickness is more desirable in that spot, but Joseph also looks like he's filling out, and has a good blend of size and speed.

 

[DFC]

We don't really need a net front presence on the top PP. It doesn't rely on screens - it relies on puck movement. We pull the goalie out of position with cross ice passes and shots from the wings/slot. We're not trying to take away his eyes, we're trying to make him move to open up holes.

We need someone to retrieve pucks and who is capable of making a decent pass to Point in the slot and Kucherov on the wing.

This. There is no net-front presence on the first unit. That spot is for a guy retrieving pucks behind the net and feeding them along to either Stamkos or Kucherov to reset, or straight up to Point. Miller did well there. I still think Cirelli's skillset is perfect for it, because he's both gritty and skilled, and it's the only real "rough" spot on our PP. It's the least important part of our PP, so pretty much the entire roster would be somewhere between "meh" and "okay." ...Well, Gourde really didn't look great there though. He gets out-muscled a lot.