Inconsistency Plagues Lightning’s Power Play

During the 2016 NHL Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning battled its way to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling in Game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

That success was interesting because the Lightning struggled that season tremendously in scoring on power play opportunities.

Conversely, the following season, Tampa Bay rectified its power play issue and had the sixth-best power play percentage in the NHL, yet didn’t even qualify for the postseason. So, it isn’t a requirement that a team has a strong power play unit(s) in order to have a successful season.

But, it sure as Hell helps a lot.

Fast-forward to today, and the Lightning aren’t executing in that facet of the game, AND if the playoffs started today, the Tampa Bay players would be more concerned with tee times than when a puck drops.

“It is not going great,” veteran Tampa Bay center Bryaden Point said of his team’s power play performance following a 6-2 loss to Vancouver on Sunday at Benchmark International Arena. “That is for sure.”

No, it isn’t “going great” for the team, or for Point, for that matter, who is struggling through the worst season of his career in terms of offensive production.

The Lightning were 0-for-2 in extra-man opportunities on Sunday, and are ranked 29th out of 32 teams with an abysmal 15.3 percent success rate on the power play through its first 18 games.

“Frustration is the worst thing in hockey,” veteran winger Jake Guentzel said on Sunday. “You just got to stay with it.”

Guentzel and Point each have just one goal scored on a power play this season in a combined 36 games.

Tampa Bay has only two players (Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli) who have scored more than a single power-play goal, and the season is nearly a quarter of the way over.

“It is just being simple,” Guentzel continued on his solution to solving the power play dilemma. “It is just shooting pucks. It’s creating traffic (in front of the net) and trying to break them down that way if it’s not going in.

“So, we’ve got to make sure we are doing the little things right and making it easy on ourselves.”

Many people will point to the absence of former Tampa Bay sniper Steven Stamkos, who made millions of dollars with his deadly shot on power play opportunities. Certainly, having Stamkos – in his prime – would help this team in that regard. However, two things don’t equate to that solution.

1. Stamkos is no longer in his prime (ask Nashville management about that), and
2. Tampa Bay performed well on the power play last year (5th in the NHL) without Stamkos.

One issue that can be attributed to Tampa Bay’s poor performance on the power play has been inconsistency in who has been on the ice together.

Players such as Victor Hedman, Brandon Hagel, Cirelli, and Kucherov have all missed games this season, as has veteran forward Nick Paul, who hasn’t yet played in a game this year after having offseason surgery.

“Our power play has only been together for four power plays in four periods,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said earlier this month. “We’ve kind of changed personnel a little bit.”

Once every player is healthy (Paul skated during Monday’s practice and may play on tonight against New Jersey), Hedman (no goals) and veteran forward Oliver Bjorkstrand (one goal), both of whom team with Point, Kucherov, and Guentzel on the top power play unit, have to begin to not just shoot the puck, but do so successfully.

Hedman is on pace for just a 54-point season, while Bjorkstrand is on pace for the worst offensive season of his career (poor timing for a player in a contract year).

For Bjorkstrand, he has not only had to adjust to a new team since arriving from Seattle in March of last season, but he is playing a new spot on the power play.

Earlier in his career, he was entrenched in the right circle or in the middle (the “bumper”) of the unit. However, Kucherov mans the right spot for Tampa Bay, and Point is in the heart of the power play, so that leaves Bjorkstrand having to adjust to playing the left side of the ice.

“We’re trying,” Point said of that unit’s performance. “We had some looks (against Vancouver), but the goalie made some good saves.

“We’re still working on it. We’re still trying. Hopefully, some pucks start going in.”

The Lightning (9-7-2, 20 points) hosts the Devils (13-4-1, 27 points) tonight at 7 p.m.

New Jersey has dropped four of its 10 road games this season and will be without its top scorer, center Jack Hughes, who is out for six to eight weeks following hand surgery recently.

The Lightning will host Edmonton (9-8-4, 22 points) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Washington (9-8-2, 20 points) on Saturday at 7 p.m.