Line Combos: Our Special Teams

[Leonardo87]

We are now #14 in the league with a 18.1% PP

 

[The Macho King]

We are now #14 in the league with a 18.1% PP

We went from like 24th to 14th in two games with a few good games of power play goals.

Very weird how tight the league is. I still think the point shouldn't be "where are we in the league", but rather, are we clicking at 20+% (which with our talent we should). We're not and that's a problem.

Our PK has been excellent though - something a bit over 83%.

 

[Leonardo87]

We went from like 24th to 14th in two games with a few good games of power play goals.

Very weird how tight the league is. I still think the point shouldn't be "where are we in the league", but rather, are we clicking at 20+% (which with our talent we should). We're not and that's a problem.

Our PK has been excellent though - something a bit over 83%.

Like I've been saying we have the personnel just not executing like we should. That play behind the net with Johnson and Flip was just a heads up play, and if we can keep getting shots towards the net, good things will happen. We just need more heads up plays like that. Oh and shots from the point as well.

Was kinda poking fun though, think the PP is starting to find the right path but still needs work, but thought it was funny how much we jumped in ranks, but yeah you are right it's more about getting to 20%, and we are not there yet.

 

[DFC]

Like I've been saying we have the personnel just not executing like we should. That play behind the net with Johnson and Flip was just a heads up play, and if we can keep getting shots towards the net, good things will happen. We just need more heads up plays like that. Oh and shots from the point as well.

Was kinda poking fun though, think the PP is starting to find the right path but still needs work, but thought it was funny how much we jumped in ranks, but yeah you are right it's more about getting to 20%, and we are not there yet.

We're still living off the early season when we got red hot at home. (...I think)

I don't know. Buffalo looked so, so, so bad last game that I don't have a lot of faith. The Johnson/Flip passes behind the net looked like something pros would do to goof around vs. a kids' team. I've bitten on the PP improving before, and it turned out we just got hot for a couple of games. I'll need to see it against a real PK before I'm willing to be at all optimistic.

 

[Coopers Gum]

We're still living off the early season when we got red hot at home. (...I think)

I don't know. Buffalo looked so, so, so bad last game that I don't have a lot of faith. The Johnson/Flip passes behind the net looked like something pros would do to goof around vs. a kids' team. I've bitten on the PP improving before, and it turned out we just got hot for a couple of games. I'll need to see it against a real PK before I'm willing to be at all optimistic.

Same. I was't too impressed by that PP goal really. I was just frustrated they wouldn't do something more (as in, they kept ****ing passing). I honestly don't really think that was a planned play. They got lucky the Sabres defender left Callahan wide open in front of the goalie.

 

[Leonardo87]

We're still living off the early season when we got red hot at home. (...I think)

I don't know. Buffalo looked so, so, so bad last game that I don't have a lot of faith. The Johnson/Flip passes behind the net looked like something pros would do to goof around vs. a kids' team. I've bitten on the PP improving before, and it turned out we just got hot for a couple of games. I'll need to see it against a real PK before I'm willing to be at all optimistic.

Oh yeah, not trying to say oh the PP is fixed, hell no, we have 17 games left. I want us to be clicking at or over 25% for these last games. That to me will then be a success. I say 25% because will make up a lot of ground for the abysmal PP we have been running for way too long.

 

[DFC]

Oh yeah, not trying to say oh the PP is fixed, hell no, we have 17 games left. I want us to be clicking at or over 25% for these last games. That to me will then be a success. I say 25% because will make up a lot of ground for the abysmal PP we have been running for way too long.

To me it looked a lot more like two guys playing catch while they waited for the opportunity to pass out front. Which is fine, but not really indicative of anything to come.

 

[Leonardo87]

To me it looked a lot more like two guys playing catch while they waited for the opportunity to pass out front. Which is fine, but not really indicative of anything to come.

I was more impressed with the Hedman goal to be honest.

 

[The Macho King]

Same. I was't too impressed by that PP goal really. I was just frustrated they wouldn't do something more (as in, they kept ****ing passing). I honestly don't really think that was a planned play. They got lucky the Sabres defender left Callahan wide open in front of the goalie.

I think it was actually - the idea was probably to get either Lindback or the Dman to make a mistake. Look at how Kucherov and Stamkos keep darting around to occupy the other two to prevent them from assisting down low. That was a set play, and I think the idea was for Flip to hang onto the puck for a heartbeat longer at one point to get Bogo to bite (which he did).

 

[Leonardo87]

I think it was actually - the idea was probably to get either Lindback or the Dman to make a mistake. Look at how Kucherov and Stamkos keep darting around to occupy the other two to prevent them from assisting down low. That was a set play, and I think the idea was for Flip to hang onto the puck for a heartbeat longer at one point to get Bogo to bite (which he did).

I agree that was a set play, although the goal itself was not a big deal, the play itself was, and all 5 players knew what was happening I thought.

 

[BOLTMAN]

I started seeing this about 3 games back or so and I thought how stupid does that look.

Since than I keep seeing it.

Will someone tell the GUY that is telling Garrison to pass back toward the centerline/our blueline on the power play rush to knock it off already.

 

[The Macho King]

I started seeing this about 3 games back or so and I thought how stupid does that look.

Since than I keep seeing it.

Will someone tell the GUY that is telling Garrison to pass back toward the centerline/our blueline on the power play rush to knock it off already.

That would be Cooper.

 

[Hoek]

Holy cow our special teams are baaaaaaad.

Special teams a prime concern for Lightning

As good as we are 5on5, this is absolutely putrid. Someone needs to be held accountable coaching wise if this becomes our undoing this postseason.

 

[chasespace]

Holy cow our special teams are baaaaaaad.

Special teams a prime concern for Lightning

As good as we are 5on5, this is absolutely putrid. Someone needs to be held accountable coaching wise if this becomes our undoing this postseason.

Might be time to stop rolling 4 forwards on the PP. Hedman-Garrison and Stralman-Nesterov would do work as the point pairings

 

[Hoek]

We put up most of those numbers with two defensemen though I think.

 

[The Macho King]

The special teams issue isn't personnel - we ran four forwards on the PP for years and it was insanely dangerous. It's coaching.

 

[chasespace]

We put up most of those numbers with two defensemen though I think.

Really? I thought the first unit always ran Flip in one of the defender slots? To be fair, when we get a PP I tend to tune them out for 2 minutes.

 

[zeykshade]

Given those possession and shots analytics, I'd prefer we just hold the puck behind Bishop and 4 corners it never attempting to score. At least the other team won't get shots then. Would be the equivalent of Declining the Penalty.

 

[Coopers Gum]

Idea: just play the PP like it's a 5 on 5. Don't set up, it's abhorrent. Score off the rush. **** it, we'll do it live.

 

[DFC]

One thing that's frustrating is how often our PP just gets flat-out outworked. Guys we're used to seeing win board battles at even strength can't win one to save their life on the PP. As soon as there's a battle for the puck, every one of us knows it's going to end up way back in our own zone.

 

[Leonardo87]

Wow those Stats are mind boggling, you would think we would be dead last on the PP, but we are actually middle of the road, still not good enough though.

Have to get more shots, and quality ones. I think Flip has been a big issue when he does not shoot. Anytime he does shoot at the net, good things usually happen. The pass-pass-pass routine needs to stop.

 

[zeykshade]

Wow those Stats are mind boggling, you would think we would be dead last on the PP, but we are actually middle of the road, still not good enough though.

Have to get more shots, and quality ones. I think Flip has been a big issue when he does not shoot. Anytime he does shoot at the net, good things usually happen. The pass-pass-pass routine needs to stop.

You don't need quality shots. You just need shots that hit people in front of the net at the least. Preferably the goalie for rebounds, but there needs to be more shot events on the net and more work retrieving pucks on misses. Basically it looks as if the Lightning use the 2min on the PP to relax in between stints of dominant 5 on 5 play.

That won't work in the playoffs. Checking is already tighter but when a team can basically disregard the threat of a PP Goal, they can afford to really clamp it down and take away even marginally dangerous opportunities by taking penalties and then killing it off easily. I wouldn't want to be the coach who put that strategy into play against another team, but it could very well work against us. We're that bad with the man advantage.

 

[Coopers Gum]

Wow those Stats are mind boggling, you would think we would be dead last on the PP, but we are actually middle of the road, still not good enough though.

Have to get more shots, and quality ones. I think Flip has been a big issue when he does not shoot. Anytime he does shoot at the net, good things usually happen. The pass-pass-pass routine needs to stop.

I have no doubt we'd be dead last if we didn't start the season off so hot on it.

 

[DFC]

I have no doubt we'd be dead last if we didn't start the season off so hot on it.

Never underestimate the Sabres' ability to suck.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

Tampa Bay FF60 marks, per Hockey Analysis, in the past four seasons:

2011-'12: 30th in the NHL
2012-'13: 29th
2013-'14: 29th
2014-'15: 30th

FA60 in the same time frame

2011-'12: 28th
2012-'13: 24th
2013-'14: 25th
2014-'15: 29th

How have these issues persisted, on both ends, this long, and through this much coaching turnover and roster turnover. What the HELL is going on...