GDT: 5/2/21 - 3:00PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Detroit

[T REX]

We won!

We look awful

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

We won!

We look awful

I don't know how you could watch that game and, brief penalty madness aside, come to that conclusion. We're allowing about 20 shots per game in the last week. We're getting the playoff style of our game in shape ahead of the playoffs. What else do you want? Goal scoring is going to be difficult without 86 and 91, but we already knew that.

 

[The Macho King]

I don't know how you could watch that game and, brief penalty madness aside, come to that conclusion. We're allowing about 20 shots per game in the last week. We're getting the playoff style of our game in shape ahead of the playoffs. What else do you want? Goal scoring is going to be difficult without 86 and 91, but we already knew that.

This.

God damn McBackup and Gibson got us 3 points out of 4 because our D gave up one dangerous shot in 125 minutes of hockey. Vasi got the full weekend off.

We aren't finishing right now. That sucks, but better get out of the funk now than in two weeks. D is playing great.

 

[JoVel]

Yeah, I mean when you got the talent we got and on top of that have 2 of our best 3 forward injured I don't think you need to worry about scoring when we're getting looks. It'll come. To me that's a more promising outcome than a game where we look like hot garbage but put up 5 goals on a Gibson level goalie.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I mean production wise everyone is more or less on track for career averages, no? It’s just that nobody has stepped up and replaced the production of 86 and 91 (which is hard to do). We were always top heavy: 86 then 91 and 21 then big gap then a few 0.5-0.6 ppg players.

 

[T REX]

I don't know how you could watch that game and, brief penalty madness aside, come to that conclusion. We're allowing about 20 shots per game in the last week. We're getting the playoff style of our game in shape ahead of the playoffs. What else do you want? Goal scoring is going to be difficult without 86 and 91, but we already knew that.

Let's see...2 goals vs a depleted Detroit team.

Team isn't sharp.

Right now.

It is what it is...

 

[Sky04]

Let's see...2 goals vs a depleted Detroit team.

Team isn't sharp.

Right now.

It is what it is...

?? You don't need to win a game by 4 goals for it to be a good game.

 

[T REX]

?? You don't need to win a game by 4 goals for it to be a good game.

In your heart of hearts...do you think we look ready for a deep playoff run?

 

[The Gongshow]

Point and Palat missed chances in game 1, could have been 2-0.

Defence has started to get going again and looked good against a very game Detroit team with nothing to lose, looking to play spoiler.

Our 3rd line is starting to get back into playoff form again which is fantastic.

Our 2nd and 3rd string goalies got us 3/4 points. Sure Detroit is a bottom team but the boys have played well.

4 BIG games remain

 

[Lightning1995]

In your heart of hearts...do you think we look ready for a deep playoff run?

Yes, if atleast one of Stammer or Kuck are healthy and ready to rock.

 

[Sky04]

In your heart of hearts...do you think we look ready for a deep playoff run?

42 shots, lots of danger chances, 53% in the dot, minimal high danger chances against and your 3rd string goalie with a 1GAA average? Yes.

We've had wins in the playoffs that weren't as clean as yesterday's game.

 

[DFC]

Greiss and Bernier made a lot of big saves. Yesterday's first period was about as dominant as they come.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Yes, if atleast one of Stammer or Kuck are healthy and ready to rock.

I think we need one of them and vasi to be great. Our scoring needs to improve before I feel better about that.

 

[DFC]

I think we need one of them and vasi to be great. Our scoring needs to improve before I feel better about that.

Really though, it's not like we scored our way to the cup. We shut teams down better than they could shut us down, while our top players crushed it. I would expect Point and Hedman to hit a higher gear. Especially Hedman, who actually does seem to have a switch he can flip at any given moment.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Really though, it's not like we scored our way to the cup. We shut teams down better than they could shut us down, while our top players crushed it. I would expect Point and Hedman to hit a higher gear. Especially Hedman, who actually does seem to have a switch he can flip at any given moment.

While that is true that we didn't score our way to the cup, we didn't necessarily have to. While yes Hedman and vasi are that good, besides the Bruins (who were really just a one line team against us) we didnt really play a great offense who could put the puck in the net. I'm a little worried if we run into a good offensive team with our dry offense if Kuch or Stammer aren't productive when they get back.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

In your heart of hearts...do you think we look ready for a deep playoff run?

We'll have trouble if we're missing our two best goal scorers, and hopefully that won't be the case, but if we get knocked out early in the playoffs without our two best goal scorers, is that really a failure? Carolina is better than us at current health levels. Florida has better forward depth but they're missing Ekblad so using the injury excuse vis-a-vis them would be met with very little sympathy. We really need to not lose sight of the fact that this team has kept neck-and-neck with Carolina all season while missing our best forward the entire time. That's a hell of an accomplishment. You subtract most team's best forward, they'll struggle more than we have.

As to actually answer your question, I'll point out again that we have probably only given up an average of 20-22 shots per game since the second Columbus game. Small sample of four games, of course, but we wanted to see this team round into form of playoff hockey. You know, driving the net harder in the attacking zone, limiting chances and keeping teams to the outside in the defensive zone. Have we not done that? Dallas was in desperation mode last week and only got 2 SOG in the third period. Detroit got 39 shots in 125 minutes of hockey. They're not a good team but that's still very tough to hold anybody to. And when you're struggling to find goals, thanks in part to injuries, you need to defend better to limit chances. And that's exactly what's happened. So what are we complaining about?

And, by all means, give credit to the goaltenders where it's due. Greiss and Bernier were fantastic across those two games. We easily could've slipped some goals past either of them on both days, and especially against Greiss on Saturday, but were stonewalled by their excellence. It happens. It's hockey, and we've seen it happen hundreds of times before and it'll happen hundreds more times as well. But to say "we look awful" in response to that game yesterday? You must've been watching a different game. The general takeaway from that game yesterday was "how the hell did Detroit even stay in the game at all?", not "Tampa looked bad". We were in control the entire way and were unfortunate not to do better than 2-1. It was a perfectly fine performance. If we look like that in this final week against Dallas and Florida, I have zero doubts we'll get the two seed.