GDT: 1/5/25 - 8:00PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Anaheim

[Soul Assumption]

For the record, since you're full of shit... Vancouver is a WC team but you didn't include them. You just make shit up at this point don't you? Lmao

Just missed them, ok 2 out of 17 that changes things completely! Also we scored TWO goals against Montreal, not one, sorry, I'm such a liar

So, you expect a better team to beat the lesser team 100% of the time? Can you show me one, just one, team in regular season NHL history that has done this and not lost to a non-playoff team?

You just make shit up at this point don't you? Lmao

Where did i say you need to win 100% of your games against non playoff teams? But when you regularly lose 2-3 games in a row against bad teams, that's a problem. Not to mention that they usually lose in a bad way. like losing to San Jose not because their goalie stole the game, but letting them dominate

 

[Stammertime91]

Just missed them, ok 2 out of 17 that changes things completely! Also we scored TWO goals against Montreal, not one, sorry, I'm such a liar

You just make shit up at this point don't you? Lmao

Where did i say you need to win 100% of your games against non playoff teams? But when you regularly lose 2-3 games in a row against bad teams, that's a problem. Not to mention that they usually lose in a bad way. like losing to San Jose not because their goalie stole the game, but letting them dominate

Bad stretches happen. Thats a fact. 2019 Tampa and 2022(?) Boston are outliers. Bad stretches take place even against lesser opponents throughout an 82 game season. Acting as if they don't or even should is absolutely nonsensical. If it continues to 6-8 games, it's probably time for a trade, call up, or someone is sent down to send a message. A player meeting probably takes place at that point, too. What shouldn't happen is firing a coach when he's working with a roster that's not as glamorous as you think they are. Girgensons is a warm body. Glendening is much the same, plus faceoffs/pk but so are most 4th line centers. Mikey is so inconsistent but at least provides a different dimension. Geekie is very raw. Goncalves is another warm body, though I think he brings effort. Chaffee sulks and is probably the best of the bunch (at the moment, but Geekie will be better) if he can see a sports psychologist and get his shit together. Atkinson and whoever else. It's 5 out of 6 that are virtually neutralizers in the game, doing nothing overly bad, but nothing of value that other league minimums can't. The issue primarily falls on being unable to put the puck in the net, which all of those guys struggle with. Thats a lot of roster spots incapable of bringing it to the opponent. Hell, as slow as the school bus line was, at least they could tilt the ice. Our defense is half duds. Perbix has two good games and three bad ones, Lilleberg is more of a shift by shift shitshow, and Raddysh is a clown one week and serviceable TWD week to week.

You're arguing as if these stretches with this current lineup are inexcusable when I'm trying to present that the 2024-2025 Lightning is not the same as years past. If this would've been two or three years ago, totally valid - but it's not. This team has quite a skill gap between the top six and bottom six and the gap in between doesn't mesh stylistically, either. Thats not on Cooper. That's very much on Brisebois. He took a flier on a Atkinson being a low risk move and signed Girgensons, neither have done anything worthwhile. Sheary is buried and we have inexperienced guys like Goncalves, Geekie, and Chaffee as regulars when in all honesty on a contending team (which isn't what we are) wouldnt be in the top 9, let alone featuring in the top 6 and on PP2.

 

[Rschmitz]

Just missed them, ok 2 out of 17 that changes things completely! Also we scored TWO goals against Montreal, not one, sorry, I'm such a liar

You just make shit up at this point don't you? Lmao

Where did i say you need to win 100% of your games against non playoff teams? But when you regularly lose 2-3 games in a row against bad teams, that's a problem. Not to mention that they usually lose in a bad way. like losing to San Jose not because their goalie stole the game, but letting them dominate

It’s an 82 game roller coaster season. You are right to call out the SJ game, but this just looks like a slump to me. These things happen every year, even to the best teams, no need to panic

 

[RussianGuyovich]

lotta fighting in the game threads lately. a heartfelt hang in there kitten image to all hfboards friends

 

[Maelmoor]

It's always easy to be a fan when things goes well, so I always tend to look back to when we struggled for real (not just a bad spell)..

97-98 season:
- 17 wins in 82 games
- 151 goals scored
- Power play 9.35%
- 13 game losing streak (funnily enough in January...10 more to go!)
- Two(!) winless streaks of 16 games
- Paul Ysebeart won the scoring race with 40 points in 82 games
- Renberg and Selivanov were the top scorers with 16 goals

 

[StammerHammer]

Glad I wasn’t a fan then. Or maybe that’s why I wasn’t a fan then.

 

[Rschmitz]

Glad I wasn’t a fan then. Or maybe that’s why I wasn’t a fan then.

Pretty miserable fan experience being introduced to the sport through listening to Hirsch/Ahlers on the old staticky WFLA radio station, virtually none of the games were televised. Anyone who didn't want to be part of that is forgiven.

 

[FinnLightning26]

The team is just the complete shits right now. Really worried how this month will go. They had a really easy stretch of five games after christmas and they won one of them. Now we'll have Carolina, Boston, New Jersey and a game in Pittsburgh which is an automatic loss.

Offense is compeltely off and defense gives up a million chances a game. Goaltending has been the only thing that has worked like it should've. Have to get our heads of our asses in a quick fashion.

 

[OffBy1]

Even with this string of crap games, we're still leading the league in goals scored, so I figure we were due for a bad stretch offensively. I wish I could say that knowledge made them easier to watch, but it hasn't.

 

[Soul Assumption]

It's always easy to be a fan when things goes well, so I always tend to look back to when we struggled for real (not just a bad spell)..

97-98 season:
- 17 wins in 82 games
- 151 goals scored
- Power play 9.35%
- 13 game losing streak (funnily enough in January...10 more to go!)
- Two(!) winless streaks of 16 games
- Paul Ysebeart won the scoring race with 40 points in 82 games
- Renberg and Selivanov were the top scorers with 16 goals

When the team sucks and you don't expect anything it's not so bad. losses are even good because you'll get a higher pick. When it happens for years or even worse when you're the Buffalo Sabres it becomes a problem

 

[Hoek]

 

[Rschmitz]

When the team sucks and you don't expect anything it's not so bad. losses are even good because you'll get a higher pick. When it happens for years or even worse when you're the Buffalo Sabres it becomes a problem

Speaking for myself, but if I intend to watch the games and not disassociate until things get better, it’s still just as bad.

Judging by how some here can’t handle small losing streaks and tight games, I am pretty sure I know how it’ll go.

 

[Soul Assumption]

Speaking for myself, but if I intend to watch the games and not disassociate until things get better, it’s still just as bad.

Judging by how some here can’t handle small losing streaks and tight games, I am pretty sure I know how it’ll go.

If the roster is objectively bad then there is no reason to be upset. You just need to find a reason to watch the games (mostly watching the prospects).

If you have Kuch and Point on the roster and they can't score more than one goal against terrible Californian teams then it's frustrating.

 

[DarrylshutzSydor]

"We can't beat easy teams"
*beats easy teams*

"We can't beat playoff teams"
*beats playoff teams*

*Loses to easy teams*
"We can't beat easy teams"

And so goes the cycle of idiocy. Fact is, people constantly shit posting for Cooper to be fired have *the* worst take currently for this team. We aren't in that territory. Organizations that do that kind of nonsense usually end up worse off whereas we are consistently making playoffs and giving it our best shot. The problem with this team is depth primarily up front and on the backend the lack of consistency from 50% of our defense is absolutely burning us. The problem with our fanbase (for better or worse, and for quite some time) is that we've been so accustomed to seeing a winning team we just expect 18 bozos to hop over the bench and secure 1st in the Atlantic, get 2-3 personal trophies and at least get to the ECF. It's asinine. At some point you just have to let the foaming of the mouth cease and realize this iteration of the Lightning isn't the same as previous years. We sorely lack an identity/style and realistically two bottom six needle movers and a bottom pairing defenseman to make this team a contender. There's passion in wanting and hoping to see this team do well, then there's grasping at straws when guys like Glendening, Girgensons, Eyssimont, sulking Chaffee, and Atkinson/Goncalves make up 5/6 on your bottom 6. Ain't happening, chief.

I agree with alot of this, but one thing is certain, Perbix and raddysh are not nhl caliber defenseman

 

[Webster]

Perbix and Lilleberg actually played really well against Anaheim.

McDonagh probably had one of the worst games of his career.

 

[T REX]

It's always easy to be a fan when things goes well, so I always tend to look back to when we struggled for real (not just a bad spell)..

97-98 season:
- 17 wins in 82 games
- 151 goals scored
- Power play 9.35%
- 13 game losing streak (funnily enough in January...10 more to go!)
- Two(!) winless streaks of 16 games
- Paul Ysebeart won the scoring race with 40 points in 82 games
- Renberg and Selivanov were the top scorers with 16 goals

talk about perspective