GDT: Lightning @ Devils - 7:00 PM - MSG

[Blender]

The shutdown pairing did their job

Players just must hate playing against Siegenthaler and Kovacevic. They give them nothing.

 

[My3Sons]

I think Tampa is the best team in the East and I was also struck last night by how much our club and style of play right now seems to be modeled on them. There was little to choose between us last night - like us, they contest every shot, back check and try to get a stick on every shooter; and like us they feast off of turnovers, the counter attack and the rush.

They finish their chances better than we do right now, with Point and Kucherov, and their second line with Hagel and Paul has been poison for us too. Nico and Meier did a great job on their stars last night. Hedman is also having an Indian Summer, late career last hurrah type of season for them. He remains elite. McDonut has also proven to have such longevity. Nashville has collapsed without him and he's still bringing something quite special to their defense, go figure.

One other thing Tampa does well that we can imitate (and that we did in the 2d period last night) is to turn a game that's going against us around by pinning the opposition into their end and cycling the puck; which is what they did in the first period last night after Palat's goal. In our first game here when Hegel had the hat trick, they did that too - stood up at the blue line after we went ahead and forechecked and pinned us in until Hedman or Hegel tied the game and then the roof fell in on us. (I think it was Hegel after a quick turnover and centering pass from the corner?)

But unlike that game we learned last night. We are a different team than the one they beat in September. I loved our second period. When it was we who caught our breath and got better, took possession of the puck and turned the game around. We are the team that's growing. You can see us learning and trusting our system every game against them and if we meet them in an Eastern Conference Final we have every chance to beat them. I think we learned last night that we can beat them. For the first time in a while. We deserved to win that game.

Vasilevsky kept them in it in the second period. But I trust Markstrom to go toe to toe with him. Should be fun if it happens.

If Hedman and Mc Donough have discovered avocados they can play well for years.

 

[glenwo2]

In the first period, when Hughes has a partial breakaway and Bratt later has a full breakaway and neither hits the net (blocker side - Bratt hits the post but that’s no shot on goal, close is no cigar). Plus at least two 2 on 1’s that resulted in nothing or harmless attempts. I would love to see us be more efficient with our chances.

But great win. They’ve had our number for so long, I would have hated them to sweep us once again. And particularly when we hope to see them maybe in the playoffs. We gain confidence from this.

And is it 6 or even 7 straight at home now? That’s so important, we haven’t had much of a home ice advantage in years.

That's stupid that if it hits the crossbar, that does not get recorded as a shot-on-goal.

If it misses the net and everything? Sure.