Capitals 4
Lightning 3
This makes it 6 in a row that the Lightning have lost. 3 on the road, 3 at home. This is how I can best describe it. January: Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. February: Cold. Frigid. February has not been kind to the Bolts at all. The Bolts have been a tale of two stories, with two chapters each.
For the season the Bolts have:
15 goals (averaging 1 per game) and allowed only 3 (averaging 0.5 per game) in the first period.
13 goals (averaging 1 per game) and allowed 16 (averaging 1.2 per game) in the second period.
19 goals (averaging 1.5 per game) and allowed 19 (averaging 1.5 per game) in the third period.
Now lets break that down January vs February (to date):
January
10 goals (averaging 1.3 per game) and allowed only 3 (averaging 0.5 per game) in the first period.
5 goals (averaging 0.5 per game) and allowed 10 (averaging 1.7 per game) in the second period.
12 goals (averaging 2 per game) and allowed 4 (averaging 0.7 per game) in the third period.
February
5 goals (averaging 0.7 per game) and allowed 3 (averaging 0.4 per game) in the first period.
8 goals (averaging 1.1 per game) and allowed 6 (averaging 0.9 per game) in the second period.
7 goals (averaging 1 per game) and allowed 15 (averaging 2.1 per game) in the third period.
But look what happens when you remove the game with the Jets in early February:
2 goals (averaging 0.3 per game) and allowed 3 (averaging 0.5 per game) in the first period.
5 goals (averaging 0.8 per game) and allowed 6 (averaging 1.0 per game) in the second period.
5 goals (averaging 0.8 per game) and allowed 12 (averaging 2.0 per game) in the third period.
Its funny what you learn when you break things out by the numbers vs what you see at the game or on television.
The Lightning offense has only scored 2 goals in the first period, 5 each in the second and third periods since they played the Jets. In contrast, the Lightning defense has given up only 3 goals in the first period, 6 in the second, but gave up a whopping 12 in the third since playing the Jets.
No matter how you look at it… the last 6 games in the first two periods the Lightning offense has gone frigid and barely finding the net. The problem is the third period…where the Lightning finally find a spark, but then the defense goes frigid and is outscored nearly 2-1.
Alot of the recent issues the Lightning may have may not to due to lack of talent or poor conditioning.. but due to injury. Here are the Bolts currently on IR:
02/10/2013 Ryan Malone Lower-body injury
01/18/2013 Matt Taormina Upper-body injury
01/17/2013 Mattias Ohlund Knee
All three of these players are key to the Lightning Defense. Losing Malone and having Ohlund out the entire season, in my opinion, has been a huge loss and its showing.
Injuries happen, its part of the game and even Boucher knows that cannot be used as much of an excuse for losing 6 straight. The Lightning need to find a way to keep the defensive momentum in the third period while they try to spark their offense.
Carolina now leads the division by 3 points and the Lightning slip to 2nd in the Division and from 3rd to 9th the Conference.
Woody Bass III 