After slow start, Lightning taking NHL by storm again

With all due respect to former NFL coach Dennis Green: The Tampa Bay Lightning are who we thought they were. And who they are is one of the best teams in the NHL.

The Lightning started slowly after a record-setting 2018-19 campaign in which they tied a league record with 62 wins and outscored their opposition by 103 goals. Wherever they went, destruction followed.

It’s no shame that they couldn’t reach those lofty heights again. Yet for much of the first three months of the season, the Lightning were surprisingly mediocre. They had the same number of losses as wins (17) after a Dec. 21 defeat to the Washington Capitals.

Then last season’s team returned. The Lightning have become the NHL’s Goliath again, and no one wants to stand in their way.

“We fixed some things,” captain Steven Stamkos said before Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over the Golden Knights. “I think ‘A’ was establishing the forecheck. Getting the puck in deep and not trying to pass it into the zone. And then the shots and retrievals that starts the pressure in the o-zone. I thought we were looking to make that extra play a little too many times.”

Stamkos has been preaching the same thing all season. The Lightning’s insane talent is the reason they’ve become such a dominant force. They get into trouble when they try to showcase that too much, though, and often playing sound fundamental hockey is more than enough for a win.

The Lightning have been better about that lately. They’re passing up shots less. They’re getting to the front of the net. They’re playing structured defensively. Sometimes they still slip into old habits, but they’ve been consistent enough to go 17-2-1 in their last 20 games.

“It’s keeping chances down,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Two, our penalty kill has been excellent for six weeks to two months now. And when we do break down, the goalie makes a save.”

Ovechkin keeps firing

Alexander Ovechkin might really do it.

Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goals are such a mythic figure that Ovechkin joked in a December ESPN interview that he would retire on the spot if he surpassed it. Two months later, it’s not really a laughing matter.

Ovechkin has 14 goals in his past seven games, giving him 698 for his career. He’ll soon be the eighth player in NHL history to score 700.

Ovechkin has 40 goals in his age-34 season. He’s aging tremendously well, and it’s getting easier and easier to dream of him surpassing The Great One.

Maple Leafs make key move

Trading for a backup goaltender isn’t sexy. But it just might keep the Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff hopes alive.

The Leafs acquired Jack Campbell from the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, adding solid (and affordable) depth to their biggest position of need. Toronto is 24-9-6 with starter Federik Andersen, a 2019 Vezina finalist, and 4-10-1 with backups Michael Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo. Hutchinson has a -9.61 goals saved above average in 15 games, which ranks 54th out of 64 qualified goaltenders (more than five starts).

Getting better play in net, especially with Andersen nursing an upper-body injury, is crucial if the team wants to stay in the playoff picture.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.