The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the Stanley Cup Final. Last season, with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, the Lightning essentially steamrolled their way to the Final to eventually defeat the Dallas Stars in six games. This season, the Lightning finished in third place in the Central Division and weren’t regarded as favorites to reach the Cup Final.
They proved us wrong. The Lightning were dominant in their first two rounds, beating the Panthers in six games and Hurricanes in five. They were given a great series against the Islanders but beat them for the second season in a row in a Semifinal series, this time in seven games. The Lightning are back in the Stanley Cup Final and look poised to repeat. Oddly enough, this team looks better than last season despite the worse record. What makes this team so good? Moreover, why does it feel inevitable that the Cup will remain in Tampa?
Andrei Vasilevskiy
It’s hard to deny that Andrei Vasilevskiy is having a run to remember. Every year it seems, there is someone on the Lightning that has their shining moment and leads the team to success. This season, it looks like it’s Vasilevskiy’s time to take control of the matchups and he has.
I’ve mentioned before how Andrei Vasilevskiy is saving the Lightning and bailing them out throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Even then, the goaltender’s performances aren’t given the attention they deserve. His ability to squander second-chance shots, the calmness in the net, and every detail that creates a dominant goaltender. The Panthers and Hurricanes had two of the best offenses in the NHL, yet Vasilevskiy single-handedly made them look hapless. The Islanders found scoring depth at just the right time and appeared poised to find answers against Vasilevskiy just like they had against their previous two opponents, yet they also looked hapless.
Vasilevskiy posted a .925 Save Percentage and a 2.21 Goals Against Average in the regular season. To kick his play into another gear, he’s currently posting a .936 Save Percentage and a 1.99 Goals Against Average in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not only are the numbers better, but Vasilevskiy is also facing significantly better offenses and is simply making them look hapless, with incredible saves and the elimination of extra chances. At this point, it’s hard to deny that he is a world-class goaltender and arguably the best in this generation.
Defensive Depth & Control of the Center of the Ice
Last season, it became universally acknowledge that Victor Hedman is one of the best two-way defensemen in the NHL. Hedman was one of the best players on the offensive end of the ice for the Lightning, scoring 10 goals as a defenseman. Hedman also was able to blank the opponent’s odd-man rushes, create turnovers, intercept cross-ice passes, and block shots on the net. The overall excellence displayed by Hedman earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the top player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The underlying question entering the playoffs this season was the defensive play outside of Hedman. The Lightning defense is good but could it truly become great? The current playoffs run has allowed the hockey world to see the rise in another great defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev, who might even be better defensively than Hedman. Additionally, the Lightning defense is able to create turnovers at will. David Savard has been great on the backend, Ryan McDonough continues despite being in the twilight of his career. Luke Schenn and Erik Chernak are the enforcers, hitting those with the puck and creating turnovers along the boards.
The entire unit is playing well in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but the particular element of their defensive play that stands out is their control of the center ice. Tampa oftentimes runs a 1-3-1. The formation requires athletic, great skaters defensively but when executed, forces opponents to play on the wings. The Lightning dominate the center of the ice on odd-man rushes. Their opponents have to try to skate on the wings through the neutral zone, making offensive opportunities hard to find. Moreover, the Lightning defense is able to force their opponent to take tough shots from terrible angles on the net. Ultimately, they have controlled their respective matchups as a result.
Puck Movement in the Offensive Zone
The Lightning offense with Nikita Kucherov compared to without Kucherov is night and day different. The Lightning returned their star scorer for the playoffs after missing the regular season to injury. Frankly, it’s incredible to watch him open up the offense. Kucherov plays the top-line wing, breaks down the defense with great passing, and spotting open skaters or shots on goal. The star scorer leads all skaters in the NHL in Stanley Cup Playoff points with 27 points.
The Lightning particularly takes advantage of their ability to distribute the puck and find the open skater in the offensive zone. The offense quickly passes the puck through the defense, willing to make that extra pass for an easier goal. The Lightning’s ability to make the effective pass following the reception of the puck is once again blatantly noticeable.
The puck movement is most prominent on the power play, where the Lightning are the dominant unit in the playoffs. The Lightning have scored 20 goals on the power play and the top line is unstoppable with all the open ice they receive. Victor Hedman continues to make plays from the point while Kucherov is on the wing. Steven Stamkos often plays the opposite end of the ice, waiting for an open shot on the cross-ice pass or with all the distraction. Finally, Brayden Point, who has 14 goals in the playoffs, plays in the center of the ice and lets his instincts find the best shots on the net, resulting in 7 goals on the man advantage. The power play takes the offensive best attribute and makes it better.
