By Allan Brown
In 1980 the Cleveland Browns were dubbed the 'Kardiac Kids' of the NFL.
Under the auspice of quarterback Brian Sipe, they were able to pull off surprising, sometimes miraculous wins, en route to a division championship, but couldn't get past the divisional round of the playoffs. They were nicknamed the 'Kardiac Kids,' and yes, for some unknown reason, (maybe the K is to make it align with the K in Kids) the spelling is correct. However you spell it, those Dawgs have forever been linked in the annals of NFL history.
In many aspects, the Tampa Bay Lightning were the 'Kardiac Kids' of the NHL last season, giving Bolts fans near heart attacks in many regular season games that were either decided by a shootout or by a come-from-
behind win in the last minutes of the game.
And, of course, who could forget that first-round playoff series versus the Detroit Red Wings, where most NHL loyalists wrote them off before the Lightning rebounded in the last two games of the series to defeat the men from Hockey Town, 4-3, to advance to the next round of the second season?
Then there was that Tyler Johnson goal with 1.1 seconds left to put the Bolts up three games to none in that semi-final series versus the Montreal Canadians. The Lightning did let the Habs back into that series, but, in typical Tampa Bay 'Kardiac' fashion eventually slammed that door shut and took out Montreal to win the series four games to 2.
The rest is history.
The Lightning eventually won the Prince of Wales Trophy given annually to the Eastern Conference champion and put up a gallant fight before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
That Lightning team remained pretty much intact going into the 2015-16 season last month with only left winger Brenden Morrow gone.
Fielding a squad deep with scoring prowess, a former Vezina Trophy Finalist in goal and an increasingly improving defense, most felt the Bolts were primed for Eastern Conference greatness - and another Stanley Cup appearance - this season.
The expectations were high.
Extremely high.
Unfortunately, though, this Lightning team has yet to meet those high expectations.
While it may be too soon to hit the panic button on this squad, the cause for concern is definitely real.
Last year's squad never lost three games in a row. This year's team has already dropped four in a row and five of six.
So what are the reasons behind this year's slow start?
The theories are many. Of course, you know what they say about opinions, everyone has one.
Here's mine.
First off, a team coming off a deep Stanley Cup run has the disadvantage of having maybe 6-8 weeks of vacation as opposed to five months. Part of the reason for the Bolts sluggish start could simply be attributed to that. No NHL team has made it to two back-to-back Cup appearances since both the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins did it in 2009. So definitely, the odds have been stacked against the Lightning from the get go.
Great teams, dynasties, however, rise to the occasion. They get hungrier due to past success. To date, the Lightning haven't shown that hunger.
Not in the least.
The team that led the NHL in scoring last year is currently tied with the New York Rangers for seventh place in that category. There have been numerous games where the Bolts either failed to light up the lamps at all or were limited to just a single goal.
Ben Bishop, a Vezina Trophy Finalist for the league's outstanding goalie in 2014, isn't exactly posting Vezina-type numbers this season, with a .917 save percentage good for a 20th place tie in the league in that percentage. He ranks 16th in goals against average at 2.34 and has a 5-6 overall win/loss record as of this writing. What is especially troubling is that Bish has let in quite a few soft goals thus far.
Bishop deserves a little slack, tho, as he has played in a league-leading 12 games thus far as backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been sidelined recovering from a blood clot near the left collarbone that required surgery and had prevented him from playing until last week.
Hopefully, once the regular rotation in goal can return to normal, so will Bishop. To his credit, Vasilevskiy has looked brilliant between the pipes, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and .939 save percentage.
While the netminding issue seems to be resolving itself, the scoring issue has to be of concern for Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper.
And apparently it is.
Cooper broke up the most successful line in hockey last season, the second line known as the Triplets, after the trio - comprised of Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov - failed to make an impact early in this new campaign. Johnson, in fact, didn't score a goal until last week. It is worth noting, however, that all three are in the top five in assists while surprisingly, a defenseman, Victor Hedman, leads the squad in that category. Another D-man, Anton Stralman, is currently in the top five in that statistic, as well.
That in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but does signify the problems the team has had on offense so far this year.
While it remains to be seen whether the Triplet line will return to form on a regular basis, their lack of productivity as a trio definitely raises concern among the Lightning faithful. For now, it appears Palat will remain on the number one line with Captain Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan, while TJ and Kuch will play with Alex Killorn.
The mention of the Captain's name also brings up an interesting dynamic that shouldn't be affecting the team's play, but certainly coukd be impacting it ever so slightly.
Stamkos' contract expires this season and rumors of a trade to a myriad of teams, most notably the Toronto Maple Leafs, continue to make the rounds. Has the possibility of leaving Tampa Bay impacted the Captain's play this season?
It seems not.
Stamkos leads the team in goals scored with seven and while his three assists lowers his overall point total, nothing seen on the ice indicates the Captain has given up on Tampa Bay. The constant speculation on his future, though, could have some slight impact on the team's overall play, though mention of that is purely speculation.
In fact all Lightning fans can do right now is merely speculate.
While there may be other scenarios that could be brought up when addressing possible reasons for the problems with this squad, mention of them now is premature. The bottom line is the team has certainly not played up to expectations, it has definitely not played to its full potential in a full 60-minute contest thus far this season.
And while it is still way too early to rule this currently underperforming squad out, time is of the essence.
Every team has targeted the Lightning this year and the Bolts have to simply start rising to the occasion - and not just when they are playing Buffalo, who they have manhandled in two games to date this season.
Until they do that, until they start showing why they are the defending Eastern Conference champions, this current incarnation of the Bolts will continue to give their fans cardiacs of a different kind this year.
And until the Lightning can start proving they are the squad to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference, they are definitely a team that needs to be put Under Review.
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