Friday, 4 a.m.
You can talk about their successes if you want. You can talk about their brand names. You can talk about those nights when everything comes together.
Sadly, however, there is this:
Right now, the Tampa Bay Lightning isn't a very good team.
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Take Thursday night, when the Bolts were embarrassed by the fifth-place team in the Atlantic Division, the Ottawa Senators, in a 7-2 thrashing. Ottawa was playing behind goalie Mads Sogaard, who was 1-6 in his last seven games (including an overtime loss).
And it was brutal. The Senators scored the first two goals of the game, and they scored four in the third period to win going away.
Tampa Bay has won just seven of its last 20 games -- roughly a quarter of the season. Losing goaltender Brian Elliott has won just four of his last 11.
The loss took Tampa Bay's road record to below .500 on the season with road games at Boston and Carolina coming next.
"We fed everything they did," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. " It’s unfortunate. We’re having a little tough stretch here and it’s all self-inflicted. I'm not sure when they’re going to learn. They’re learning tough lessons.
“I think a little bit of it is feeling sorry for ourselves. They know better. That’s what makes it tough."
The Bolts did get their 45th goal of the season from Brayden Point. In their history, the Bolts have six 45-goal seasons, four of them by Steven Stamkos.
Mikhail Sergachev scored the Bolts' other goal.
Tampa Bay visits Boston for Saturday afternoon game at 1 p.m.