Electric Showdown: Rangers vs. Lightning – The Excitement Unleashed!

Match Number Thirty-Three: New York Rangers (16-17-1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (19-11-2)

Start Time: 7:00 PM EST

Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa

Broadcast/Stream/Radio: FDSNSUN, MSG 2, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App

Betting Line: Lightning -162

Describing the schedule of the Tampa Bay Lightning in December as peculiar would be an understatement. Thus far, they have only competed in nine matches with just two remaining (including tonight’s contest). Moreover, they are engaging in consecutive back-to-back stretches. There was merely one week in which they adhered to the usual every-other-night pattern (from December 8th to 14th), and they have enjoyed five breaks of at least two days off between games.

There are advantages to a slow schedule. For starters, some of their injured players can take an additional day or two off. We observed this earlier in the month following the west coast journey. It also provides the coaching staff the opportunity to organize practices that reinforce strategies and address negative trends that can emerge in a team’s performance when they are playing back-to-back nights.

The Lightning are returning from yet another multi-day hiatus, having relished a holiday break at home with four days of rest since their shutout win in Sunrise on Monday. Now that all the gifts have been unwrapped and the holiday meal has been enjoyed, they are back to action with a back-to-back matchup. This evening, they welcome the struggling New York Rangers, followed by their traditional late December encounter against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday at 5:00 PM. With the Bucs game commencing at 1:00 PM, we’re certain a few individuals will attempt to catch both sporting events. Best of luck if you are among them; remember to stay hydrated.

Continuing with the trend in December, the Lightning will have three additional days off prior to an action-packed January starting on the second. With multiple days of rest before and after, the back-to-back scenario shouldn’t pose as much difficulty as it typically would. The Bolts should also be quite healthy as they approach it (although Mikey Eyssimont appears to be day-to-day). It will also initiate the Lightning’s journey to equalize the number of games played with other teams in the division. By the conclusion of January, the games played column should look considerably closer than it currently does, with Tampa Bay having at least three games in hand over the three clubs they are pursuing in the standings.

Of course, games in hand benefit the Lightning only if they secure victories in the games they contest. On paper, both the Rangers and Canadiens are teams the Bolts should defeat. It may seem unusual to state this about the Rangers, but for those who have been inattentive, matters aren’t going well for the team stationed in the Most Famous Arena in the World. The Blueshirts are in the middle of a stretch with 13 losses in 17 games, placing everyone except Igor Shesterkin on the trading block.

This losing streak has already resulted in Kaapo Kakko forwarding his mail to Seattle and Jacob Trouba exchanging New York taxes for those of California. Former forward Chris Kreider has had his name circulated in trade rumors after being specifically mentioned in a memo that Chris Drury sent to all 31 of his fellow general managers at the end of November, signifying that the Rangers were open for business.

This memo was dispatched when the Rangers held a respectable 12-6-1 record. They now find themselves at 16-17-1. We’re not particularly skilled in mathematics, but their current standing doesn’t appear to be heading in a favorable direction. If Drury aimed to motivate the team, it was an extraordinary misfire. As of now, they enter tonight’s matchup tied with the Islanders for the fewest points in the Metro Division. Although there’s more than half a season remaining, clawing their way up in that division will certainly prove to be a challenge. Presently, they are only five points away from a wild card spot, but the three teams ahead of them all reside within their division.

What has gone amiss? Quite a bit, yet the most prominent issue has been offensive performance. Throughout this 17-game slump, they are currently averaging 1.87 GF/60, placing them at the bottom of the league during this period. If they were not scoring but still creating scoring opportunities, perhaps the alarm bells wouldn’t be ringing quite so insistently, but they’re also in the lower half of the league in scoring chances (24.99) and high-danger chances (10.02). They are simply not generating enough quality at 5v5, and a feeble power play converting only 13.0% of their opportunities isn’t rescuing them.

With Trouba basking in the Anaheim sunshine and K’andre Miller sidelined for two weeks, they have also been disorganized defensively, allowing 29.03 scoring chances per 60 minutes and 31.94 shots against at 5v5. Igor Shesterkin has valiantly guarded the net with a .914 save percentage during this stretch, yet the sheer volume of shots coming his way has resulted in an unusual (at least for him) 3.04 goals-against average. The fact that his GAA is over 3.00 while Evolving Hockey still acknowledges him with an 11.63 GSAx in his 12 outings illustrates precisely how much offense other teams have been generating against the Rangers lately.

The encouraging news for the Rangers is that Miller was activated off of injured reserve yesterday and should be ready to return to the lineup. Kreider is also expected to play after being a healthy scratch on Monday during their 5-0 defeat to the Devils. Will this suffice against a Lightning team that is performing quite well currently?

It’s not an exaggeration to assert that, even with their 4-2 setback against the Panthers last week, the Lightning are displaying some of the finest hockey we have witnessed from them in the last two seasons. They are scoring (4.44 goals per game) as well as defending (1.89 goals against per game) while thriving on the power play (36.0%) and managing to avoid pitfalls while shorthanded (87.0% penalty kill). All this while contending with injuries to various players.

The matches, at times, may not be particularly elegant, but they are consistently emerging with two points on most evenings. Occasionally, it’s the offense (like an 8-3 triumph over Calgary); on other occasions, it’s the defense (3-1 victory over St. Louis); and on other nights, it’s Jonas Johansson (4-0 win against Florida). Discovering various methods to secure victory is what proficient teams achieve, and throughout their first 30+ games, the Lightning are demonstrating that they are indeed, a competent team.

Now, they need to maintain this for another 50 games, and we can breathe easier. They’re about to enter the grind-it-out phase of the season and cannot afford to falter in winnable matches. Tonight represents one of those critical games, and they must go out and seize those two points.