Lightning Strikes: Weekly Preview 3/11/18-3/17/18

The Tampa Bay Lightning will play only two games this week, but those games are against Atlantic Division opponents so there are some important points up for grabs. The Bolts will also have the advantage of playing in front of the home crowd for both games.

On Tuesday night, an underachieving Ottawa Senators team visits Amalie Arena. The red hot Boston Bruins will then come to town for an all important game on Saturday night. The Sens will be look to play the role of spoiler, while the Bruins will be trying their best to gain ground on the Lightning and put some distance between them and the Leafs.

The Bolts should get off to a fast start against an Ottawa team that has been outscored by 10 goals in the first periods of games this season. They will want to set the tone early and be ready to play early in this one. Tampa Bay needs to not play down to their opponent and look ahead to the Bruins game because that could cost them two valuable points in the standings. The Lightning want to get plenty of pucks on net with traffic in front since the Sens goalies have been anything but solid this year. The Bolts should have an easy time winning the special teams battle even though the penalty kill has been an area of concern all season long.

The Senators are going to want to figure out a way to stop the balanced lineup of the Bolts. They have four lines that can beat you at any given time during a game. Ottawa needs to play solid team defense, have the forwards help out and the goalie make some saves. The Sens want to take away the time and space of the Lightning so they can't create in the offensive zone. The Senators needs to play with discipline since the Lightning have one of the best power play units in the League. Ottawa needs the goaltending to come up big for them in order to steal two points in this game.

The Lightning will have three days off before they face the Bruins in a huge divisional game at home. The Bolts want to be involved from the drop of the puck since they will have had three days without seeing any game action. Tampa Bay should get the forecheck and cycle games going early and often in this game to keep the Bruins busy defending. The Lightning need to get plenty of traffic in front of the net and shots on goal. The Bolts should limit their mistakes and turnovers because the Bruins can and will take advantage of sloppy play. Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely be the starter and he needs to play at the Vezina level that he has been playing at all year for the Lightning to have a shot at this game.

The Bruins have been red hot lately, and the loss of Patrice Bergeron hasn't seemed to affect them. Boston needs to get off to a fast start and be engaged from the drop of the puck since the Lightning will have had three days off. The Bruins will want to get plenty of traffic and screens in front of the net because if Vasilevskiy can see the puck then he is going to stop it. The team may also want to try elevating the net since the Bolts goalie can cover the bottom portion of the net well. Boston needs to get a good game from their starting goalie. The Bruins should try to have the lead when entering the final period of play since they are 28-0-2 when leading after two periods.

Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 12/10/17-12/16/17

The Buffalo Sabres look to get back on track after losing three of their first four games to start the month of December.

The Sabres will take on one Western Conference team and three Eastern Conference teams this week. On Sunday night, they'll face the St. Louis Blues, who will be without Jaden Schwartz due to an ankle injury. They will then come home to face the struggling Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. It's back on the road to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, and Buffalo finishes out their week with a game at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Sabres need to have some kind of energy to start this game against the Blues or they will be down a few goals before they know it. Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game, and keep attacking. They will need to establish a forecheck early and often because the best way to stop the Blues offense is to make them defend. The Sabres will need to play with discipline and avoid a parade to the penalty box since the Blues have a good power play. Buffalo will need to get a good game from the goaltender, who will need to make some saves since the Blues should get their chances.

St. Louis will need to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game. The Blues lines will be a bit different looking tonight with the loss of forward Jaden Schwartz, and it should be interesting to see how the loss of Schwartz affects the play of Brayden Schenn since the two have developed some chemistry early on this year. St. Louis will need to find a way to keep Evander Kane and Jack Eichel off the board since they have a hand in a lot of the offense for the Sabres. The Blues will need to force some turnovers, since the Sabres will turn the puck over especially in their own zone. St. Louis needs to not play down to the opponent tonight, and just play their game.

Buffalo will then face a struggling Ottawa Senators, who have been shutout in three of their last four games. The Sabres will need to find a way to stop Derick Brassard and Erik Karlsson, who are among the leading point producers on the Senators roster. Buffalo will need to watch the speed of Ottawa in transition since they can get the pucks behind the defensemen. The Sabres will need to attack and not sit back in this game since the Sens have been struggling to score lately. Buffalo needs to get the power play going and the Senators are not one of the better penalty killing teams in the League. The Sabres will need to make sure that they have the lead going into the third period.

The Senators will need to figure out a way to get their offense going in this game. They are playing one of the worse teams in the NHL, and they should be able to put some pucks into the net. Ottawa will need to get the first goal of the game to get some confidence going and then build on the lead from there. The Sens need to have a good game from the starting goalie, who needs to make saves and not allow any soft goals. Ottawa will need to have a better effort all around then they have had the past few games. It would be a good idea for them to just get pucks on net, and then crash the net for any rebounds or loose pucks in the crease area.

The Sabres then take on the Flyers on Thursday night in Philly. Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game since the Flyers are a better team when playing with the lead. The Sabres will need to keep attacking and get some sustained pressure in the offensive zone to keep the new balanced lines off the board for Philly. Buffalo will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a decent power play even though they have allowed four shorthanded goals against this year. The Sabres will need to keep Jake Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere in check since they play a big part in the offense. Buffalo will need to be aware of the Philadelphia defense since they have no problem joining the play in the offensive zone.

The Flyers will need to keep the new look lines and balanced attack going against the Sabres. Philly needs to not play down to their opponent since they have been known to do this the past few years. The Flyers will need to get in on the attack, establish a forecheck early in the game and force a ton of turnovers throughout the game. The Orange and Black need to be better with the puck, and limit their mistakes since they have had plenty of costly turnovers lately. Philly needs to avoid the penalty box since the penalty kill has been in the bottom of the League all season long. The Flyers need to be aware of where Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville are on the ice.

Buffalo face the Hurricanes at home on Friday night. The Sabres will need to get off to a really good start in this game, and score some first period goals. Buffalo will need to keep Teuvo Teravainen and Jeff Skinner in check while they are on the ice. The Sabres need to avoid turnovers and mistakes with the puck since Carolina can make you pay for your mistakes. Buffalo will need to get their home power play going since they have only converted on 8.9% of their home power play opportunities. The Sabres need to get some offense from the defense even if they are just pitching in with assists.

The Hurricanes will need to get the first goal of the game to take the crowd out of the game. Carolina will need to be better on special teams since they haven't had the most success on them all season. The 'Canes will need to find a way to stop Jack Eichel and Evander Kane, since they are the two top point getters on the team. Carolina will need to get some stops from their goaltender and to play a solid, 60 minute game.

Leafs Notes: Weekly Preview 10/15/17-10/21/17

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a good start this season, but it hasn't come without some not-so-great defensive play.

They will need to be sharp in their own end and smart with the puck as they take on the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators this week.

The Maple Leafs will take on the Capitals in a rematch from last year's first round of the playoffs. The Leafs will need to use their speed and attack the Capitals defense to cause turnovers. Toronto needs to get the first goal, hold the lead and don't let the Caps back in the game. The Maple Leafs need to be a tight team defensively because if they aren't then the Capitals offense can explode for some goals. The goalie is going to need to make some key saves because there will be chances from guys like Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kutznetsov. The Leafs are going to need to stop the Caps top six and make the bottom six beat them.

The Capitals will need to get the first goal and keep attacking. They will somehow need to contain the speed of Toronto. The Caps need to attack the defense of the Leafs and force some turnovers to create scoring chances. Washington will need to be aware of where Auston Matthews and William Nylander are on the ice. They are going to need to limit their mistakes and be smart with the puck.

The Leafs return home on Wednesday night to take on Atlantic Division rival, the  Detroit Red Wings. Toronto is going to need to contain Dylan Larkin since he has the speed to get behind the defense of the Leafs. The Maple Leafs need to be aware of the Red Wings defense because they can join the play in the offensive zone, and they do a good job of keeping the puck in the zone if you try to clear up the wall. The Leafs just need to get a ton of shots on goal. Toronto needs to get off to a fast start since Detroit tends to get better as the game goes on.

The Red Wings need to spend some time in the offensive zone to try to get some goals since they have gotten off to some slow starts this year. Detroit needs to be better at even strength and keeping the goals against down a little bit. The Red Wings will need to contain the Leafs speed and one way to do that is to spend a bulk of the game in the offensive zone. Detroit needs to be better on face-offs and win some of them because winning a face-off could mean more puck possession. The Red Wings are also going to need to be aware of Auston Matthews since he has scored some goals against them in his young career.

The Leafs go back on the road to finish out its week and take on the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs will need to be aware Erik Karlsson joining the rush in the offensive zone. Toronto needs to get plenty of traffic in front of the net. The Maple Leafs need to be patient and not force a shot since the Sens have no problem blocking shots. The Leafs need to bring its balanced attack, and to keep getting shots on goal even if they aren't going in.

The Senators need to eliminate the turnovers especially in their own end and through the neutral zone to contain the speed of the Leafs. Ottawa needs to bring a balanced attack and not just have the top six producing points. The Senators just need to play their game and not worry about what the Leafs are doing. Ottawa has a good penalty kill but they may want to stay out of the box because the power play of the Leafs isn't too shabby.