Blame it on the Olympics. Blame it on the schedule. Blame it the ebbs and flows of the NHL season.
Blame whoever, but the Tampa Bay Lighting are officially in a slump.
The Bolts lost their third straight game -- and played their fourth straight most disappointing effort -- in a 5-1 hammering at the hands of the Minnesota Wild. The Wild continued their dominance over the Lightning, who have been struggling since the Olympic break this year.
The Bolts have given up 16 goal in their three straight losses.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up nine goals in his last game and a half. Vasilevskiy, who had appeared as if he was going to make a run at the Vezina, has now given up the nine goals on 34 shots.
The Wild scored the game's first two goals and their last three.
Nikita Kucherov scored the only goal for the Bolts, his 32nd.
The Bolts visit Winnipeg on Thursday night at 8 p.m. at the Canada Life Centre.
Imagine a world with a pedestrian goaltender. Imagine Andrei Vasilevskiy getting overwhelmed.
It might look something like this.
Imagine an existence where Nikita Kucherov is just another skater in the crowd? Imagine no goals, no assists, no danger.
Yeah, like Saturday’s game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning took it in the nose, getting clobbered 6-2 by the Buffalo Sabres at Benchmark International Arena.
Buffalo didn't seem to care how hot the Bolts have been lately. They jumped to a 5-0 lead, scoring all of their goals off Vasilevskiy on 14 shots.
The Bolts only managed late goals by Dominic James and Victor Hedman. It was Hedman's first goal of the season.
Kucherov had a 12-game scoring streak ended.
"I think it's been a three-game trend for us since post-Olympics," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "Yes, the Toronto game went our way, but you could see holes in our game. These past two have been unacceptable.
"It's really disappointing. To go 50-plus games and put ourselves in the position we're in and play like this. No push-back, no urgency, no drive, no attention to detail. We gave a decently skilled team so much open ice. I'm surprised they didn't have 10. I was really disappointed with our compete level."
The Bolts now go on a four-game road trip, starting Tuesday night at 9:30 p.m. in Minnesota's Grand Casino Arena.
Eventually, hot streaks cool. Eventually, the puck bounces wrong, and comebacks fall shot, and disappointment returns.
The Tampa Bay Lightning was re-introduced to disappointment Thursday night, losing a 5-4 game to the leaders of the NHL's Metropolitan Division at Carolina's Lenovo Center.
The Bolts lost for only the second time in regulation in their last 23 games. They fell behind 3-0 early and clawed back to tie. They fell behind 4-3 and tied it again.
Still, the Bolts weren't good enough to get over the hump. Backup goaltender Jonas Johannson gave up five goals on 32 shots. He surrendered three goals in the first 6:41.
Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov scored quick goals to narrow the deficit to 3-2 by the end of the first period, and Dominic James tied the game.
After the Bolts fell behind 4-3, Brayden Point tied the game. It was his third goal in two nights.
The Bolts are home at Benchmark International Arena against Buffalo on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Upon re-examination, there is some good news for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yeah, they're still the Lightning.
The Bolts, if you recall, ended their pre-Olympic schedule as the NHL's hottest team. In 21 games, they had only two losses -- one of those in overtime.
Wednesday night, they were at it again.
The Bolts slapped Toronto, 4-2, despite a ragged finish at Benchmark International Arena. It was 3-0 in favor of the Lightning entering the last five minutes before Toronto managed a couple of desperation goals.
But Nikita Kucherov is still a dynamo. He scored his 30th goal and had two assists (he now has 64). He also had a goal and an assist called off.
And Andrei Vasilevskiy had a strong night until those last five minutes. He saved 32 shots to win his 28th game.
Oh, and welcome back, Brayden Point. Point scored two goals -- he has 13 on the year in his return from injury.
Gage Goncalves also scored for the Bolts.
Tampa Bay played without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game after the death of his father.
The Lightning travel to play Carolina tonight at 7 p.m. at the Lenovo Center.
Friday, 4 a.m. This one, you would have to score as a knockout. The sizzling Tampa Bay Lightning put it to the Florida Panthers, 6-1, in a fight-filled game. The NHL will now take a break for the Olympics. The Lightning-Panthers game has turned into a rambling fisticuff exhibition. The Bolts had 81 minutes worth […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. The game before, the improbability of the comeback was because of the score. This time, it was because of the clock. Say this for the Bolts. They can take a punch. Once again, the Lightning came from behind to win an unlikely game. This time, it was a 4-3 win over Buffalo […]
Monday, 4 a.m. Turns out, the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoys the evening air. The Lightning stormed back from four goals behind to win a 6-5 game over Boston in an outdoor game held at Raymond James Stadium. The Bolts fell behind 5-1 midway through the second period, but slowly came surging back to force it […]
Friday, 4 a.m. In a season that could have been derailed because of defensive injuries, Darren Raddysh has kept the Tampa Bay Lightning on the straight and narrow. Raddysh was excellent again in a 4-1 win over Winnipeg Wednesday night at Benchmark International Arena. Raddysh scored a goal and had two assists in the victory. […]
Tuesday, 4 a.m. There are nights when he makes the goal mouth look like a mouse hole, when no light, no air, and in particular no pucks can get past him. On such nights, you might as well dig a moat around the crease and line it with guard dogs. On those nights, Andrei Vasilevskiy […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. Perhaps the odds said that a game like this was waiting. A game where the defense didn’t show up, where too many passes didn’t connect. A game where a two-goal comeback was wasted. The hot streak of the Tampa Bay Lightning — a 15-game point streak — blew up in the faces […]
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About Gary Shelton
• No one covers Tampa Bay like Gary Shelton.
• No one has seen as many moments, as many athletes, as many coaches as he has over the last quarter of a century.
• No one has won more awards, including two national Associated Press Sports Editors Best Columnist awards and eight top 10 finishes. He also just received his sixth Sportswriter of the Year award for Florida by the NSSA.
• No one has seen more big events, including 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics and 11 Final Fours. Gary still goes into the locker rooms to obtain his stories.
• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
Now, he begins a website designed to keep him in touch with the readers who have grown up on his words.
