TAMPA, Fla. – Garnering eight out of 10 points in any five-game stretch is grounds for feeling good. Indeed, the Lightning felt good about their level of play during a homestand that concluded Monday night against Seattle.
True, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Kraken at Amalie Arena may not have been the best way to close a five-game homestand. That is especially the case given the Kraken fired 20 shots on Jonas Johansson and scored three times in the opening 20 minutes leaving a hole for the Lightning to dig out of. Still, in the larger picture, things do not look too bad for a team that is 4-2-3 and posted consecutive shutouts last week against Carolina and San Jose.
“Do I think we are a better team now than game one of this season?” said coach Jon Cooper, following the Seattle loss. “I do. Do I feel like we are a better team than a week ago? I do. Is that going to translate into points? I can’t sit here and say that. If we play with the desperation we did in the second and third (periods against Seattle), I’ll take our chances. If we play lethargic like we were in the first period, it’s going to be tough for us.”
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The two points the Lightning did not acquire during the homestand were the result of overtime defeats at the hands of the Kraken and the Maple Leafs. In the latter defeat, Tampa Bay blew a two-goal, third-period lead.
The three-on-three overtime has been a sore spot for the Lightning, who have lost all three of their games that have gone into OT.
“We got to find a way to get out of it,” said Brandon Hagel, whose goal with less than six minutes remaining in the third period against the Kraken knotted the score at three. “Eventually we will, sooner than later. It is one of those things that continue to haunt us and we just can’t find a way out of it right now.”
They may have an opportunity or two to get out of it during a four-game trip that gets underway Thursday night at Columbus. That will be followed by a swing through eastern Canada beginning Saturday at Ottawa, continues Monday in Toronto and wraps up in Montreal on Tuesday.
“We have some huge games ahead of us,” said Hagel, whose six goals are tied for the team lead with Nikita Kucherov. “Pretty decent homestand and now we go on the road and have to take care of business.”
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