After knotting up the series at 1-1 and stealing home ice from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the 2022 NHL Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning failed to follow-up that performance with a W in Game 3. On Friday night, the Bolts had no answer for the continued onslaught the Leafs poured on all game long.
Looking ahead to their next game, the reigning champion Lightning will certainly have their work cut out for them and will need to vastly improve their play on both ends of the ice. Without further ado, let's discuss three major adjustments the Lightning must make in Game 4 in order to beat the Maple Leafs and tie up the series at two games apiece.
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Lightning adjustments for Game 4 vs. Maple Leafs
1. The Lightning will need a balanced team effort to create more scoring opportunities
As evidenced by the final score in Game 3, the Lightning need as many scoring opportunities as they can get. This is especially true after getting thrashed at home by the Maple Leafs, 5-2, and being outworked and outplayed on the offensive end. Ondrej Palat, Ryan McDonagh, Ross Colton, Alex Killorn, and Mikhail Sergachev all had strong performances for the Lightning on Friday night.
Between them they had two goals, six points, four assists, and 12 shots on goal. On the other hand, Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Zach Bogosian, Erik Cernak, and Anthony Cirelli all were essential non-factors for the Bolts. All of these players are more than capable scorers and playmakers on the ice for Tampa Bay and only had five shots on goal combined. So they'll all need to step their games up immensely on Sunday night if they want to knoth things up with the Leafs and regain momentum.
2. Tampa Bay needs to play airtight defense against Toronto's elite scoring attack
In Game 3, the Maple Leafs led a relentless scoring attack that the Lightning could not match. Led by the heroics of Ilya Mikheyev, Colin Blackwell, and David Kampf, who each tallied a goal on Friday night, the Maple Leafs were merely unstoppable with their crisp passing and stellar shot selection.
Heading into a pivotal Game 4, Tampa Bay will need to rev up the defensive tenacity in order to prevent another scoring clinic from taking place at home. The Lightning showed in Game 2 that they've got the persistence and poise to make this happen, so the pressure will be on them to come through with a big win and save their season.
3. The Lightning will need better shot selection in Game 4 to save home ice
Despite attempting 34 shots as a collective, the Lightning only came up with two goals on the night. In all fairness, the puck moves in mysterious ways, but it cannot be overstated that they were inefficient with their shot selection in Game 3. As they aim to tie up the series and bounce back with a much-needed home victory, the Lightning will need better shot selection.
They'll also need a more aggressive approach on offense. With one of the deepest rosters in the NHL, the Bolts have all the skill needed to excel on that end. In their continued pursuit of a Stanley Cup three-peat, Sunday's matchup with the Maple Leafs is an absolute must-win that they must not take for granted.
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