Speculation: 2024-2025 General Lightning Discussion IV

[Coopers Gum]

Exactly. That or the chickpea pasta got overcooked and he's locked himself in his room.

Diva.

What's the difference between a chick pea and a garbanzo bean?

 

[Stammertime91]

What's the difference between a chick pea and a garbanzo bean?

MacKinnons temper

 

[creg]

Look, I get that he's from your country and all but to say he's not a liability at the moment is just not squaring with reality. It's fair to say he's still young and should trend upward, but it's also fair to say he hasn't been consistent. He gets beaten a lot and turns the puck over in his end far too much. Based off his stat line, sure, he's fine. Watching the game and recognizing him and Perbix are weak links on the back end are also fair assessments.

Yeah, also worth pointing out a -1 when you're getting some of the easiest minutes in the league isn't very impressive. I'm hopeful that the lightning can get a good complementary RD to run with Hedman in off the season (Fabbro/Kesselring) so we can have Moser/Raddysh as a 3rd pair to actually take advantage of some o-zone starts.

 

[bov]

MacKinnons temper

*Tempeh

 

[Coopers Gum]

MacKinnons temper

You wouldn't let a garbanzo bean on your face

 

[Stammertime91]

You wouldn't let a garbanzo bean on your face

Bruh. Lmao.

 

[Master P]

 

[OffBy1]

Equally as impressive is we're only the 6th worst team on that list for expected goals against.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

Equally as impressive is we're only the 6th worst team on that list for expected goals against.

Well when we make DO mistakes they tend to be very very bad. They either end up in our net or should have

 

[Stammertime91]

But his team isn't better than Washington so he sucks

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Well when we make DO mistakes they tend to be very very bad. They either end up in our net or should have

Hence why I'm not confident that we get out of the 1st round, regardless of opponent

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

Hence why I'm not confident that we get out of the 1st round, regardless of opponent

We just have to trust the process. We are probably 2 more decent moves away from like a 57 win season and a Cup and we are about to have the cap space to do it in a few months

 

[Hockeyville USA]

We just have to trust the process. We are probably 2 more decent moves away from like a 57 win season and a Cup and we are about to have the cap space to do it in a few months

Need Moser to get back to his level that he was playing at pre injury in Calgary. He's just been meh since, having stretches of games where he's f***ing up or getting muscled off the puck because he's waiting a tick too long to get rid of it.

 

[ccman68]

Next year is our best chance at the cup. Geekie will be up and our forward group will be deep. Then we can get a defenseman at the deadline and fix the final hole in our lineup.

 

[Webster]

Next year is our best chance at the cup. Geekie will be up and our forward group will be deep. Then we can get a defenseman at the deadline and fix the final hole in our lineup.

I don't see any hole on D...

 

[RSchmitz PhD]

I don't see any hole on D...

We could use a high end D to push everyone down one slot. Not a hole, but would be the biggest upgrade the team could do.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Next year is our best chance at the cup. Geekie will be up and our forward group will be deep. Then we can get a defenseman at the deadline and fix the final hole in our lineup.

Until we win 2 rounds in a given playoffs to prove to me that we're actually close, I'm highly skeptical that we win another Cup with this group. Too many key mistakes, too many defensemen I just can't be confident in for 4 potential rounds, not enough buy in to dig in defensively as a collective unit which we saw in 2020 and 2021, as well as in 2022 after Point got injured in Game 7.

We've been good this year, but nothing has passed the eye test to me that this group is reminiscent of the groups that got to the Conference Final or Final. Will gladly eat crow, but my educated guess says no Cup

 

[Sky04]

Pretty sure if you "eye tested" the 2020 and 2021 teams in the regular season you wouldn't have seen cup champs either.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Pretty sure if you "eye tested" the 2020 and 2021 teams in the regular season you wouldn't have seen cup champs either.

2020 and 2021 were much deeper than 2025

 

[JTBF81]

2020 and 2021 were much deeper than 2025

The only difference was really the 4th line in 2020, as you can compare the top 9 of both teams very easily. This year's team is probably better offensively. The defense was a little deeper after the top 4 of course because Tampa could roll Serg at 3LD, and they were able to have vet depth in Shathenkirk and Bogo. In any case, even though Tampa had improved that year after the slow start due to changing their approach to their structure, they weren't exactly dominating anyone before the covid break, and neither Coleman nor Goodrow had been all that great either, yet. Maybe they would've won the cup without the break, maybe not, but few were predicting some deep run that year either in lage Feb/early March.

 

[OffBy1]

Until we win 2 rounds in a given playoffs to prove to me that we're actually close, I'm highly skeptical that we win another Cup with this group. Too many key mistakes, too many defensemen I just can't be confident in for 4 potential rounds, not enough buy in to dig in defensively as a collective unit which we saw in 2020 and 2021, as well as in 2022 after Point got injured in Game 7.

We've been good this year, but nothing has passed the eye test to me that this group is reminiscent of the groups that got to the Conference Final or Final. Will gladly eat crow, but my educated guess says no Cup

This is where I've been the last two seasons, but Vasy has really returned to form this year, and additions of McD, Moser and Guentzel have all been impactful. I do worry our top line is going to be kept to the perimeter in the playoffs against a good defensive team. Guentzel has a good record of performing in the playoffs, so maybe it won't play out that way. This is the first year since we lost to Colorado I could see us making it to the third round. If nothing else I'd love to avenge our loss to the panthers.

 

[Kramer Industries]

Regulation records:

Lightning: 39-26-14
Maple Leafs: 39-26-14
Panthers: 37-29-14

We've only picked up the bonus point in OT six times out of 14. Toronto and Florida have both done it 10 times out of 14.

Which is why we might finish with the best regulation record, will definitely finish with the best goal difference, yet find ourselves in imminent danger of finishing in 3rd place. They've been better at stealing the OT bonus points than we have.

 

[Renopucker]

Regulation records:

Lightning: 39-26-14
Maple Leafs: 39-26-14
Panthers: 37-29-14

We've only picked up the bonus point in OT six times out of 14. Toronto and Florida have both done it 10 times out of 14.

Which is why we might finish with the best regulation record, will definitely finish with the best goal difference, yet find ourselves in imminent danger of finishing in 3rd place. They've been better at stealing the OT bonus points than we have.

Yeah, you would think that with all the goal scoring talent on this team. they would have been at least 50/50 if not better on OT performance.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Need Moser to get back to his level that he was playing at pre injury in Calgary. He's just been meh since, having stretches of games where he's f***ing up or getting muscled off the puck because he's waiting a tick too long to get rid of it.

I'll agree with this for sure. Shell of himself since the injury.

 

[Lightning1995]

Credit to the Leafs for sprinting through the finish line, looks like the Atlantic is theirs. Lightning had a real shot with two home games to seize the division. They failed. All that’s left to play for is home ice baring a Toronto collapse, which is highly unlikely.

So it’s the Panthers in round one. Lightning will be underdogs, but have a shot with Vassy playing at a high level. I guess home ice is important for a potential game 7. Hopefully the Bolts hold onto that.