After two-day break, Lightning ready to reset with renewed energy

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
December 7, 2016

TAMPA, Fla.After two days away from the rink, the Lightning returned to practice on Wednesday to prepare for Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks at Amalie Arena (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Sun).

Following a grueling stretch of 14 games in a span of 25 days, Tampa Bay took two days away from the ice to provide an opportunity to rest body and mind for the players and staff.

“If I could have given them more (time) off, I would have,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “But then you are caught in that balance of too much off time and now rust sets in.’’

The two-day break, however, was beneficial, particularly for a team that is dealing with some nagging injuries. Ryan Callahan, Jason Garrison and Jonathan Drouin all missed Sunday’s game at Carolina due to injury.

All three were on the ice for practice on Wednesday and could return to the lineup, with Cooper calling Garrison and Callahan probable for Thursday’s game while Drouin was somewhere between “questionable and probable’’ for a return.

While the time off helped heal the bodies, it also helped heal the mind. Taking two days away from the mental grind of the NHL season helps hit the metaphorical reset button.

“It’s been a lot of hockey,’’ goaltender Ben Bishop said. “It’s definitely nice to be away from the rink for a couple of days, that’s for sure. You are used to having just one day off, but that one day off you are usually landing at the airport at 2 a.m. the night before and you are just trying to catch your breath. So it was nice to have the day off to catch your breath and then have another full day off to where you just enjoy being away from the rink.’’

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

“You are in the grind you are watching video every day, at practice every day, game every other day, so to get a break to step away from the rink and regroup and re-energize your mind is a big part of it,’’ Callahan said. “It was a very productive two days off.’’

That showed up as the team returned to the ice at Amalie Arena.

To shake off the effects of two days away from the rink, drills were incorporated that forced the players to move their feet with a lot of work on down low plays, getting up and down the ice and some conditioning drills that featured a lot of starts and stops.

“They (practiced) with pace, and if you look at our schedule, it’s been a tired group,’’ Cooper said. “You could tell the energy level was high (Wednesday) and the ice broke down before the players did. That was a good sign, but they skated hard.’’

With the bodies now re-energized, there is also a renewed commitment to defensive excellence, something that has been a staple of the team during the current run of success over the past few seasons. After allowing four or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time in the Cooper era, it was time to reset things from a defensive standpoint.

Tampa Bay allowed a total of two goals in two games prior to the small break.

“I think it was a renewed focus on trying to clean up the defensive side of it,’’ defenseman Braydon Coburn said. “Obviously it helps when you get great goaltending, but from a scoring chance point of view, you want to try to keep those down as much as possible and it was a good step in the right direction in what we did in the past two games. It’s hard work and we have to keep at it.’’

Getting the results over the weekend, posting a 1-0-1 record, is a way to show that as long as that defensive mindset is in place, the chance to win games increases.

“We scored one goal in two games and remarkably we come out of it with three out of four points,’’ Cooper said. “So it just goes to show you that defense helps you win games and helps you get points. Now, are we happy that we only scored one goal? Not at all. But the band aid for us is we need to be better in our own end and limit the scoring chances and we did that against a high-powered Washington team and back-to-back against Carolina and we gave them less than 10 scoring chances.

“If you can do that, it’s going to give you a really good chance to win hockey games. Now we have to get back to what made us electrifying in our offense. … It’s a matter of getting back to winning hockey habits, that’s something we were really emphasizing today.’’

Practice notes: A Toys for Tots drive is being held on the plaza prior to Thursday’s game. Any fan donating a new unwrapped toy will receive a coupon good for $10 off a $50 purchase at Tampa Bay Sports store. … Thursday is Star Wars themed night. … At the end of organized drills, assistant coach Todd Richards put together a 5-on-3 power play practice with five forwards. … Skating coach Barb Peterson is in town to work with the players and watched Wednesday’s practice while sitting next to Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman. … Lines for practice were:
Alex Killorn-Vladislav Namestnikov-Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat-Tyler Johnson-Joel Vermin
Brayden Point-Valtteri Filppula-Jonathan Drouin
Cedric Paquette-Brian Boyle (J.T. Brown)-Ryan Callahan
D Nikita Nesterov appears to be the seventh defenseman during drills on Wednesday, but according to Lindsay Kramer at the Syracuse Post Standard (see below), D Luke Witkowski was recalled by the Lightning prior to the Crunch game against Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Crunch captain Luke Witkowski has been recalled to Tampa Bay and, therefore, will not play for Syracuse tonight

— Syracuse Hockey (@syrhockey) December 7, 2016

.

{/mprestriction}