Commentary
Monday Morning Faceoff: Tampa Bay Lightning too small? Changes in the Big Apple?
by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
October 30, 2017
Welcome back to the Monday Morning Faceoff a weekly debate here on LightningInsider.com.
This weekly feature brings together Erik Erlendsson, creator of LightningInsider.com, and Greg Linnelli, who hosts Lightning Power Play Live weekdays from 6-7 p.m. or one hour prior to puck drop on game days on TBLPowerplay.com as well as intermission host during radio broadcasts. We will also like to bring in special guests on a regular basis to debate topical items surrounding the Tampa Bay Lightning and around the NHL as we exchange our thoughts in a back-and-forth exchange that will appear every Monday morning.
This week Siriux XM and Sportsnet radio personality Nick Alberga joins Erik and Greg to discuss whether size really matters, the Los Angeles Kings turn around and whether the New York Rangers’ slow start might mean changes are on the horizon
And make sure you catch Nick as he hosts Ice Cap and Off The Rush shows on Sirius XM, Hockey Central Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m on Sportsnet Radio as well as Fantasy Focus weekly on @TBLPowerPlay
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Erik: So this week proved that, indeed, the Tampa Bay Lightning are not going to run the table the rest of the season as some may have hoped for. But it was still a good week with victories over Carolina and Detroit before falling to Anaheim at home on Saturday.
Anaheim can play a heavy style of game, just as the Ducks did at Amalie Arena and really slowed down the high-octane Lightning offense. Watching that game it made me start to wonder – and this topic comes up a lot throughout the season – if big teams can really take Tampa Bay out of its style of game on a consistent basis. We know the Lightning are not a big team with only three forwards listed as taller than 6-foot (Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn and Cedric Paquette) and none over 6-foot-1. There are six forwards at 5-foot-10 or under.
No doubt the Lightning are a team built on speed, skill and smarts, which is all part of what the game is about today.
But the question does have to be asked, does Tampa Bay need more size among the forward ranks when the playoffs come around?
Nick: Yeah, I really felt like the Lightning wouldn’t lose another game again. Can we say that Kucherov and Stamkos are in a slump?
Jokes aside – I think it’s really too early to assess what Tampa may need going forward. They were due for a letdown game eventually and it happened on Saturday night. Not to mention that it was Peter Budaj and not Andrei Vasilevskiy.
To be honest, I really don’t see any holes with this team right now. Health is clearly the most important thing for most teams. They have depth, strong goaltending and everything in between.
We’ll see what happens!
Greg: I’m not sure they need more size. I mean, if they can find someone with size that can play then by all means go out and get that player. But, as we know, there aren’t many guys that have both of those qualities.
I give credit to Anaheim. They played very well. But let’s keep it in perspective. The Ducks were coming off a game where they allowed 8 goals and were embarrassed. Tampa Bay was due for a let down. I think in a seven game series, if officiated appropriately, would favor the Lightning.
Nick: G is bang on. Sometimes you just tip your cap to your opponent. Gibson was solid too.
Erik: I’m with you both, size does not mean everything in the NHL like it used to before the lost lockout season and team toughness is not just measured by size and physical play. I still like the way this roster is assembled and the way Tampa Bay can play the game with speed.
I think one example of some of the shift in thinking among teams is the Los Angeles Kings. Under Darryl Sutter, they were considered a slow and physical team, and to be fair they rode that style to a couple of Stanley Cup titles this decade. But last year the new style of game passed the Kings by and they changed direction in replacing both Sutter as well as general manager Dean Lombardi. That brought in a new regime with a new philosophy to play the game with more speed and skill. Now it’s early, but Los Angeles sits atop the league standings with a 9-1-1 record under John Stevens behind the bench and Rob Blake in the GM seat.
Nick: That’s a perfect example, Erik.
I’d throw the way New Jersey has adapted and evolved into the conversation as well. The Eastern Conference is the superior one. There’s no doubt. Without question – it’s a copycat league and you’ll see teams changing over to an uptempo, fast paced game. It’s a far cry from the big bodied Kings teams from a couple years ago.
Greg: And again I go back to officiating. They are cracking down on slashing penalties and are trying to make the game more open. The Bolts benefit from these enforcements. I also think skill wins out for the most part. Tampa Bay, especially in a seven game series, will be the better team.
I also think we’ll see the Lightning adjust to a team like Anaheim down the road. Tampa Bay’s power play wasn’t good and they forced way too many passes. That’s not going to be the case on most nights.
Nick: That’s also a good point to bring up.
The increase in slashing calls will only help to further the narrative that the speed game is the only way to go. If anything – I think Anaheim will get burned eventually for having a slower hockey team.
I think Tampa could use some depth on the back end.
Erik: Speaking of regime changes, are we about to see one take place in the Big Apple?
The New York Rangers look like a complete mess in the first month of the season sitting at the bottom of the Metro Division with just three victories. New York made changes over the summer, primarily for salary cap purposes, moving out center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta and bringing in in free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
But the Rangers are giving up all kinds of goals, with 43 through 12 games, the third highest in the league entering the week. Henrik Lundqvist has started off slow, which has happened in the past and he recovered. He’s not quite as spry these days and there are questions whether he can bounce back from this start and turn things around for the Rangers.
So does this mean Alain Vigneault might be on the hot seat? And what about general manager Jeff Gorton? Are they in danger of being fired if New York doesn’t turn things around?
Nick: If they don’t start winning soon, the New York Rangers have to do something.
Naturally – the head coach usually takes the fall and I wouldn’t be shocked if AV gets axed. Is it fair? No. But, that’s pro sports for you. Everyone has an expiry date!
Going into the season – I really wondered if New York could duplicate the offensive production of a year ago and I also wondered about the back end. It’s not strong and the numbers early seem to back up that idea.
If I had to put money on it, AV will be the first coach to go. We usually get one around American Thanksgiving.
Greg: I think New York had their chance a couple years back when they went to the SCF. They have a lot of good players but no stars.
I think some of their veteran players are on the decline. They’ve played a lot of games over the years and it’s catching up to them. I’d start building around the youth they currently have. Give them big minutes and look to make some moves to get even younger.
Nick: They may come to regret signing Shattenkirk and trading Stepan/Raanta.
I totally agree.They had their chance and now, it would be smart to retool on the fly. Not a rebuild but a retool.
Erik: It can be so hard to have patience to build up a team the right way in the salary cap era. Some teams have figured it out while some teams tend to start spinning their wheels trying to plug holes instead of tearing things down and building them back up.
Fortunately around these parts, we’re always on top (or always on the bottom, sometimes it’s hard to remember).
Thanks Nick for joining us and Greg let’s continue some of this discussion again, in person, this week on Lightning Power Play Live for some Great Hockey Talk™as the Lightning prepare for another three-game week at Florida on Monday followed by home games on Thursday against the Rangers and Saturday against Columbus, which will feature a reunion of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup team. As a reminder, I will host The Opening Faceoff, (presented by The Golden Law Group which will air at 4 p.m. and features an interview with a Lightning player to be determined as well as some great conversation with Bobby “The Chief” Taylor.
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