Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Not The Best Year For The Tampa Bay Lightning

01/23/2017 at 9:23am EST

from Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times,

Tampa Bay was a preseason Stanley Cup favorite, but it's a shell of that now, one reason general manager Steve Yzerman needs to make a move. It has the lowest points-per-game percentage in the Eastern Conference and would need 49 points in its final 34 games to reach 96, typically a bench mark for a playoff team. That's hard to imagine from a Tampa Bay team (21-22-5) that has won back-to-back games just once in the past two months and has three points in the first four games of this make-or-break trip.

Regardless of injuries, the Lightning — 11-16-4 without Stamkos since his Nov. 10 knee injury — isn't getting enough from its top players, its leaders. Coach Jon Cooper said earlier this season that some players were hesitant to speak up. And though some have stepped up, such as Boyle, it's not always about talking the talk, it's about walking the walk. Show the way. Tampa Bay's best line Saturday was Cedric Paquette, Gabriel Dumont and Michael Bournival. And that's telling.

Goalie Ben Bishop, a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist, needs to play like one. He can't give up goals like the first two Saturday, even if he was screened on the second one. Tyler Johnson has too often been a non­factor in games. Nikita Kucherov, arguably the most talented player on the team, can be too pass-happy. Even Hedman, a first-time All-Star this season, hasn't had his best year.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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