Johnny B. Good, Johnny B. Scoring as Tampa Bay Lightning sink Sharks

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
December 2, 2017

TAMPA – Johnny on the spot.

Johnny B. Goode.

Johnny finally be out of a slump.

A 15-game goalless drought had many wondering where, exactly, was Tyler Johnson this season.

Saturday, he answered that question, putting himself right in the forefront during a 5-2 victory against San Jose.

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Johnson scored a pair of third-period goals to break a 1-1 tie and end the longest scoring drought of his career. His previous longest stretch without a goal was 12 games.

He ended that with a power play goal 1:39 in to the third period and then picked up his second even-strength goal of the season four minutes later for what stood as the game-winning goal, his first of the season and 21st of his career.

The goal drought went all the way back to Oct. 24 in Carolina. For a two-time, 20-goal scorer, going that extended amount of time without a goal, it starts to weigh on a player mentally.

”I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough, but you just have to keep going,’’ Johnson said. “The season is a long season and sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t, every once in a while you get that break. You just have to keep working hard and keep doing what you can do. You can’t really control that much, so it’s just one of those things that was bound to change and luckily it changed tonight.’’

It’s been a bit of an odd start to the season for Johnson.

Since his rookie season in 2013-14, Johnson has been a top-six forward on this team. At times the No. 1 center at others No. 2. He as a finalist for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2014. Johnson centered the best line in the league in 2014-15 along with Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov.

But after signing a seven-year, $35 million contract in the offseason, Johnson entered opening night centering the third line. And not just any third line, a fractured line with only Alex Killorn as a regular linemate with a rotating right winger as Tampa Bay dressed 11 forwards for a good portion of the opening quarter of the season.

That had an effect on his even-strength play, at least from a statistically category as Johnson had just one even strength goal on the season heading in to Saturday. Of his other three, two came on the power play and one was shorthanded.

As he said, Johnson kept plugging away, looking to find his game. During the 15-game drought, he did register 24 shots on goal, though only had four assists to show for his work.

If he was frustrated, Johnson didn’t show it.

”He was positive,’’ Palat said. “Obviously he wanted to score goals.’’

Then as the Lightning lost three of four games on the recent road trip and Tampa Bay had difficulty getting goals, particularly from the forwards, head coach Jon Cooper moved the lines around for the first time this year, moving around the top two lines, during the game in Boston on Wednesday.

Johnson was moved from center to right wing, playing with Vladislav Namestnikov and Steven Stamkos. It nearly paid off right away late in the second period as Johnson had two quality chances coming down the right wing side. As the game started on Saturday, the trio was together from start to finish.

”A lot of fun, we were building some chemistry in the game in Boston and started to do our thing a little bit and as the game progressed we got better and better,’’ Johnson said. “I think the longer I can play with these guys and it’s fun playing with them and the skill that they have, you start to make some plays and create some things.’’

In moving around the line combinations for the game, Cooper said Johnson deserved to be among the top six, once again.

”He’s earned it,’’ Cooper said. “If I were to circle some of the forwards that I thought were playing well for us when our team wasn’t playing well, Johnny was one of them. So as coach, I had to get him out there more. It’s just a matter of, when you are doing the right things and working, it’s just a matter of time and tonight it was his time.’’

Cooper, who has coached Johnson since he was a rookie pro in 2011-12, knows how to read the now 27-year-old forward and never sensed Johnson was down on himself despite the scoring slump. It was the other side of the ice that required more of his attention.

”When he is playing the 200-foot game, he is at his best,’’ Cooper said. “And earlier in the year, he was a minus player in the beginning and when he straightens that part of his game out – and all players go through lulls like that – but he’s coming underneath the puck, he’s not ahead of the puck. He’s using his feet, he’s using his legs, he’s using his assets to his advantage and it works for him. He’s much more aware in the defensive zone coming underneath the play in attacking and now it’s paying off for him.’’

As is often the case when offensive players start to go through slumps, rather than pressing offensively in an effort to snap out of it, it’s paying attention to the other side of the ice that led to an offensive breakthrough.

”That’s how hockey goes, sometimes you get the chances and the bounces don’t go your way and then other times you kind of get those garbage goals that just find a way to go in,’’ Johnson said. “So luckily for me I was able to breakthrough tonight. The past couple of games I had some really good chances that just didn’t go my way. It was just a matter of time, I just had to keep going and luckily that was tonight.’’

Postgame notes: Kucherov moved in to a tie with Vinny Prospal for sixth on the all-time franchise goal scoring list with 127. … D Jamie McBain was recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League prior to the game but was a healthy scratch. … Palat recorded his 50th career power play point. … C Cedric Paquette served his one-game suspension. … D Braydon Coburn missed the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. … RW Cory Conacher scored his second goal in as many games with Tampa Bay this season after he was called up from Syracuse on Friday, he second call-up of the season. … Tampa Bay has scored a power play goal in six consecutive games and 11 of the past 12. … Kucherov is moved past teammate Steven Stamkos for the league lead in points with 38 and is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the league lead with 19 goals. Kucherov broke a season-long, six-game goalless drought.

My three stars:
1.Lightning C Tyler Johnson – Two goals, plus-1, five shots

2.Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov – Two goals, plus-1, 19 minutes of ice time

3. Lightning LW Ondrej Palat – Two assists, three hits, three blocked shots

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