Tampa Bay Lightning: 3 keys to success in 2017-18
The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking like Stanley Cup contenders as the 2017-18 NHL season begins.
Last season was a nightmare for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After making two consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, they failed to qualify for the postseason in 2016-17. Usually, fans can at least hang their hat on having a very high draft pick. But nope, the Lightning were the worst kind of bad – just barely miss the playoffs by a single point bad.
Still, it’s hard not to be optimistic about their present and future. The Lightning have an impressive roster filled with talent and skill. They might be the only team, when fully healthy, who can take down the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Let’s take a look at the Lighting and their three keys to success for the 2017-18 season.
Versatility
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s forward group is very versatile. This can be seen as both a strength and a weakness, depending on how you look at it. While this gives Jon Cooper tons of options for forward lines, it also creates some problems.
Specifically, the second line right wing spot and third line center spot might well be interchangeable. Brayden Point and Vladislav Namestnikov will both get playing time with Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. That dynamic is going to be an important one. Who flanks Stamkos on the right side might well depend on the situation.
It also affects the third line. Having versatile forwards can be a huge advantage if you use it correctly. The onus is on Jon Cooper to turn this surplus into a blessing.
Optimizing The Defense
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When together, Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman are a lethal defensive duo. There are few, if any, more efficient and productive top pairings in the NHL than them. However, due to a lack of defensive depth, they had to be separated last season. And both ends of the duo suffered when they were apart (though Hedman did better without Stralman than Stralman did without Hedman).
That’s where Jake Dotchin comes in. He did rather well last season when paired with Hedman. Can Dotchin handle a second pairing role without being paired with him or Stralman?
Maybe Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr can do so? If the Lightning can get more from their second and third pairings, they’d get their top pairing back. Which would be a significant gain for the Lightning.
The Emergence of Kucherov
Watching Nikita Kucherov develop into an elite wing has been a lot of fun. He’s always been incredibly gifted on offense. But last season, Kucherov’s 200 foot game went from being “good” to being “top notch”. He probably should have gotten more than one third place vote for the Selke Trophy.
Next: Lightning Season Preview
Kucherov is a huge reason why the Lightning have been able to be at worst competitive even without Steven Stamkos. But his development has to continue. This season is when the hard part begins. Now Kucherov is going to be a guy who teams deliberately game plan against. Teams will exert a ton of effort and time into shutting him down. So far, Kucherov has been up to the task. But the Lightning can’t afford him to regress.