Raw Charge
Summary
Time: 7:00 PM EST Location: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, DSN, ESPN+, 102.5 The Bone Odds: Lightning -130 Know the Opponents: Winging it in Motown The Tampa Bay Lightning kick off a brief home stand against the Detroit Red Wings tonight as they play their first game at Benchmark International Arena following Nikita Kucherov’s trade request? Will there be some “boos” mixed in with the “Kuuuuuuchs” when he hits the ice? Hard to say as public opinion, at least on social media, seems to land mostly on his side in his fracture with general manager Julien BriseBois. Mr. BriseBois might invite Detroit’s interim general manager, Shawn Horcoff, over to his press box during the game to bond over rosters torn asunder by the whims of superstars as Horcoff is dealing with Dylan Larkin’s trade demands. Granted, the path moving forward for each team is slightly different as Kucherov has committed to staying on the ice while Larkin has been suspended by the team. Who knows, maybe they can iron out a swap of disgruntled stars. Meanwhile, on the ice, the Lightning aren’t concerned with Kucherov’s productivity, and his ability to compartmentalize his life should have him playing at his usual high standards. What they should be focused on is improving their defensive play. The last few games haven’t exactly been shut-down classics. It’s been nice that they’ve been able to get a lead in their last three games, but the way they’ve defended them hasn’t been the best. Third periods have been a bit of a trouble spot as they’ve been outscored 4-2 in their last three games. Their late-game lapses have cost them a couple of points as they lost in overtime to Utah and in a shootout in Nashville. Had there been another five minutes in their game against Winnipeg, they might have lost the lead in that one as well. Their inability to shut things down in the final twenty minutes has been a bit of a recent development as they outscored opponents 10-6 in their first ten games of the season. It’s probably not a coincidence that they went 7-3-0 during that stretch. Could Detroit be the tonic that cures all that ails them? At first glance, one might think that they should be an easy target, but a deeper look into the stats shows that they’ve been a pretty good road team. Please note that these 5v5 stats don’t include Monday’s game against Florida, but the Red Wings have allowed the third-fewest shots against per 60 minutes at 22.23 and the fewest high-danger chances against at 6.99 per 60 minutes. Couple that with a .921 SV% on the road and it’s no wonder they’re only giving up 1.75 5v5 goals per 60 minutes. Now, on the offensive side, many of their stats are middle of the pack and a 6.73% shooting percentage has dragged them down to just 1.75 goals for per game. They have a decent road power play at 22.2%, but their penalty kill has struggled at 68.8%. They’ve been carried by their top line at both home and on the road with Lightning-killer Alex DeBrincat leading the way with six goals and nine assists in fourteen games. Young Emmitt Finnie has slipped into the Larkin-sized void and provided six goals and four assists in fourteen games. Their main problem is that the bulk of the offense is coming from the top as Lucas Raymond is the only player not on the top line that has scored more than twice. They are trying to work some younger talent into the line-up with Carter Mazur (24), Nate Danielson (22), and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (21) getting plenty of playing time. Circling back to the Lightning finishing strongly, while the Red Wings have been outscored 39-41 overall, they have outscored their opponents 17-10 in the third period, including a 6-3 edge on the road. Tampa Bay is going to have to stay focused for the entire game. Even with a lead, they can’t sit back and coast their way to the end. Potential Lines (based on Monday’s practice) Forwards: Jake Guentzel Brayden Point Nikita Kucherov Brandon Hagel Anthony Cirelli Gage Goncalves Pontus Holmberg Dominic James Ilya Mikheyev Jeff Viel Conor Geekie Defense: J.J. Moser Max Crozier Ryan McDonagh Erik Cernak Charle-Edouard D’Astous John Carlson Victor Hedman Goaltenders: Andrei Vasilevskiy Dennis Hildeby Opponent Forwards: Alex DeBrincat Emmitt Finnie Viktor Arvidsson Michael Brandsegg-Nygard Andrew Copp Lucas Raymond Michael Rasmussen J.T. Compher John Leonard Carter Mazur Sheldon Dries Keegan Kolesar Defense: Ben Chiarot Mortiz Seider William Wallinder Justin Faulk Andreas Englund Anton Johansson Goaltenders: John Gibson Daniil Tarasov