Netminder Dustin Tokarski’s form becomes crucial to Tampa Bay's Playoffs run-NHL feature
With 13 odd more games left to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning expect their young netminder, Dustin Tokarski, to repeat the form of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in 2009, to confirm their berth into the second
round.
Tokarski had stopped 39 out of 40 shorts at net then to help the Team Canada to beat Sweden 5-1 and claim the gold medal in the championship.
The absence of another alternative makes his performance even more crucial to their playoffs hopes.
Lightning have already lost some of their key players including the main goaltender to respective injuries and are wary of the fast approaching second round of the league.
The young goaltender, who has just come out of Norfolk of the American Hockey League (AHL), has spoken of readiness to face and meet the challenge.
He however might have missed the point while calling the playoffs a “fun environment.” This could be the only shaky point of his form. Otherwise, he looks fine and ok with facing the challenge.
Given the reason that the so called fun environment has cost the Lightning so many players to the injury problems, it will certainly not be a fun at all to play against some of competitive teams. So, he must be mindful of the fact.
However, the young goalie could be excused that professional hockey was not his game play until recently, and by calling it fun environment he might have meant his awareness of the competitiveness and thrill of playing in the professional league.
Irrespective to that, the player said he was ready for the pressure he is going to get out of the professional hockey format.
In fact, he has remained adamant of the difficulties he could face. He shrugged off the possibility succumbing to the pressure by saying: "There's pressure on everyone in this room. We're out of a playoff spot right now and we're fighting to get into the
top eight. We're going to keep pushing."
The team is equally hopeful about an impressive form of the goaltender, especially when he seems to be the last saviour of their playoffs hopes and chances.
Lightning are without their main goaltender, Mathieu Garon. He tore his groin muscle in the game against the Ottawa Senators on March 06, 2012, and since then has not played a single game or practice. They are left to the 22-year-old Tokarski, emerging from
their affiliate in the AHL.
The rookie will have a definite advantage to count on his former boss, Lightning’s head coach, Guy Boucher. He was Tokarski’s assistant coach in the Team Canada’s junior championship.
Both are now reunited at Tampa Bay, and must be aiming for repetition of the past glory. It will not be easy, though, given that professional hockey is a different game play, altogether.
To perform the wonder such as the winning of junior world championship title, will be even harder at the current juncture of the time, when the race to playoffs has become very competitive.
Tampa Bay Lightning (71) are seven points behind the last playoffs spot holders, the Washington Capitals, with 78 points.
They need to pass the Winnipeg Jets (74) and Buffalo Sabres (75) points to come just behind Capitals.
The team has 13 more games to play and must win all those to set eyes on the second round.
However, the victories alone might not be enough for them, at the end, and they have to wait for the development of a favourable situation on the league’s points table to claim a berth into the round.
In the meantime, all the equations and scenarios are very much dependent on how well the team performs, and most importantly how well the young netminder, Tokarski, serve to their playoffs cause.
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