Sunday, Oct. 21: Tampa Bay Lighting @ Chicago Blackhawks: 7 p.m.-
The Lightning start their road trip in Chicago where they'll be facing Patrick Kane and company. The Bolts will need to stop the top six forwards of the Blackhawks and make the bottom six beat them. Tampa Bay should get a forecheck game established early so they can get extended offensive zone time to get some shots on goal. They will want to get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Lightning are going to want to limit their mistakes and take advantage of the Blackhawks weak special teams.
What to Watch For: Special Teams Battle
The one area where the Lightning have a substantial advantage is on special teams. Their power play can be deadly and is ranked 13th in the League at 24%. In recent years, the penalty kill has been pretty bad, but the Lightning have yet to allow a power play goal against while being shorthanded 25 times in six games. The Blackhawks power play just hasn't been able to click just yet, but with the units that they have, the power play can get going at anytime. Chicago is also struggling killing penalties (71.4%), which was also an area of weakness last season. If the Lightning can win the special teams battle then they will have a good chance of steal two points.
Wednesday, Oct. 24: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Colorado Avalanche- 9:30 p.m.
The Lightning have a tough task just two days later when they take on the Avalanche, who are off to a good start. The team is going to need to find a way to stop Nathan MacKinnon and his line mates, who are off to a hot start to the season. The Lighting should try to establish the forecheck early so they can have some extended offensive zone time, which could make the MacKinnon line defend instead of going to work in the offensive zone. Tampa Bay needs to play with some kind of energy to start the game, maybe a big hit or play to get the team going because the Avalanche have looked really good. The Bolts need to get the first goal to get the quiet the crowd and get some traffic in front of the goalie.
What to Watch For: The Goaltending for Both Teams
It doesn't seem to matter who Jared Bednar starts between the pipes because that goalie seems to have a good game. Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer have been really good early and they are helping their team win some games. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gotten off to a good start himself, and has started a majority of the games for the Bolts. Vasilevskiy is known for his athleticism and ability to recover to make the unbelievable save so expect this game to be low scoring, if the goalies are on their game.
Friday, Oct. 26: Tampa Bay Lighting @ Vegas Golden Knights- 6 p.m.
The schedule doesn't get any easier as the Lighting take on the defending Western Conference Champions in the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights got off to a slow start, but have been on their game lately. The Lighting need to find a way to limit the damage done by Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith since they are basically the offense for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury has been much better since starting the season struggling, so the Bolts want to make sure that they have plenty of traffic in front of him. In order to slow down the Golden Knights, Tampa Bay needs to be very aware of their positioning in the neutral zone and play a tight checking game there since the transition game of Vegas is exceptional.
What to Watch For: Lightning Penalty Kill vs. Golden Knights Power Play
The Lightning have gotten off to a really good start on the penalty kill after struggling last season. They haven't allowed a goal in 25 opportunities. The Golden Knight power play has been a struggle in the early part of the season, much like everything else. They'll need to find a way to get their power play going since it will be an integral part of their offense the rest of the season.
Saturday, Oct. 27: Tampa Bay Lighting @ Arizona Coyotes- 9 p.m.
The Bolts end their tough week with a game against the Coyotes, who haven't been able to score this year. They need to get in on the forecheck and pressure the puck carrier to force some turnovers. The Bolts will want to win the battle at even strength since the Coyotes have a decent penalty kill. Tampa Bay should get plenty of pucks on net with traffic in front of the goalie to make it harder for him to see and track the puck. The Bolts will want some extended offensive zone time and make sure that they take advantage of their scoring chances.
What to Watch For: Lightning Can't Look Down on Opposition
The Lightning can't assume that this game won't take any effort to win. Tampa Bay needs to come into this game ready to play, and with some energy. The Coyotes aren't just going to roll over and give them the two points easily so the Lightning players better be ready to work for the win and two points.
Lighting Strikes Weekly Preview
The Lighting will finish a tough road trip with a 2-1-1 record. They will start off the trip with a win against the Blackhawks. The goaltending will steal them a point in Colorado, but they'll lose in overtime or a shootout. They'll go to Vegas and make it a close game, but Vegas is heating up so they'll lose the game in regulation. The team will bounce back against the Coyotes and pick up the win.
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