Tampa Bay Lightning travel to play against Pittsburgh Penguins – NHL Preview
Tampa Bay Lightning are regressing fast, but they have a little to do with that. They are winning and losing games, but the other competitors seeking presence in the comfort zone of National Hockey League (NHL) Eastern Conference are winning theirs.
So, does it leave the Lightning to the sorry state where despite getting a few victories their playoff chances would be crushed?
It is still too early to answer this question, but there is no denying the fact that from now on if the Lightning fail to show consistency, they might not reach the postseason.
As for Pittsburgh Penguins, they are in the safe zone thanks to some impressive victories early on in the season, but they have to stick to winning ways to prevent the matters from getting worse.
Both these teams are going to play against each other on Saturday, February 25, 2012, at CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Let’s have a look at both the teams.
Lightning
They are ranked at 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with 60 points after 60 games and are six points behind the eighth-ranked Florida Panthers.
Lightning are on a short three-game road trip and the start was not in their favour.
They were defeated by the Winnipeg Jets, who not only gave the Lightning a negative start to the trip, but also ended their three-game winning streak.
Jets were impressive as they scored two goals in each in the first two periods without conceding any.
Lightning, however, got an opportunity to fight back in the final period in which they scored three goals to reduce the lead to just one goal
Lightning could not get past that score and eventually lost the game.
Tampa Bay’s assistant coach, Dan Lacroix, said after the game:
"That first period really wasn't good for us. We had too many turnovers, we couldn't get pucks deep, and they had a lot of momentum. There were a lot of areas of our game that we needed to improve."
Penguins
Penguins have played 10 games this month and have won five of them.
They have lost games both on home and on road and that’s why it is hard to predict what they could do against Tampa Bay.
But their status certainly can be ascertained keeping in mind their performance against the conference leaders, New York Rangers.
Penguins were very strong on defence and did not concede any goal. They scored twice in the second period, which was the only goal scoring phase of the game.
Penguins’ defenseman, Paul Martin, said of the home games on weekend:
"I think we learned our lesson a couple of times as far as what we can do if we aren't ready to play, no matter who the team. We just have to make sure we are ready to play and don't take anything for granted and hopefully it's a good weekend."
Predictions
Penguins have a slight edge.
The sum of goals scored by both the teams might stay under six.
If Penguins do not win, the goal difference will be less than two.
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