TAMPA — Just in case you’ve forgotten, the Lightning have been here before.
It wasn’t that long ago that Tampa Bay had four losses in a row, with two on the road and two at home. This time, there was a 2-0 lead blown in the third period. Last time, there was a 3-0 lead blown in the second period. This time, they’ve been outscored 21-11. Last time, it was 19-8.
So what’s the difference?
Last time, naturally, was in the first round of the playoffs against Columbus and it was a devastating end to a charmed season.
This time, it may turn out to be a blessing in an up-and-down season.
Look, I’m not making excuses for the players or downplaying the results. Blowing a third-period lead against a weak Chicago team like the Lightning did Thursday night is inexcusable no matter how it happens.
But, in terms of the overall four-game losing streak, there are extenuating circumstances.
Tampa Bay made two trades and signed free agent Zach Bogosian in recent days, and there’s bound to be an adjustment period as three new players are worked into the rotation. The Lightning have also been missing two of their top defensemen — Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta — and captain Steven Stamkos is back on the sidelines.
But even if you’re not inclined to be charitable about the causes, there is still reason to temper your panic over the effects.
In retrospect, the Lightning went into the playoffs last season with a fatally warped view of their own performance. And why not? They went 62-16-4 and outscored opponents by more than 100 goals. They were the best team in the regular season and one of the best teams the NHL had ever seen across 82 games.
But it was around this point in the season that the Lightning began getting a little careless about puck management and defense. They started giving up goals at a higher rate. Tampa Bay surrendered three goals or more in 13 of its final 20 games. Yet it was hardly noticed because the Lightning were still scoring at a ridiculous rate.
Does that mean they were too cocky going into the postseason? You could make that argument but it was more like the players were simply missing the warning signs.
Even while giving up an average of 2.95 goals a game, the Lightning went 15-5-0 down the stretch. In other words, they were still being rewarded even though their game was getting a little sloppy.
When the atmosphere changed in the postseason, they weren’t prepared to deal with it.
And that’s why this current four-game losing streak is not necessarily an ominous sign. Lightning players are getting a reminder that, no matter how skilled they are offensively, the difference between winning and losing can be razor thin.
“As a group, you’re going to go through some ups and downs. We’ve gone through probably many more ups than downs this season,’’ coach Jon Cooper said. “You can talk about our struggles in the first part of the year (but) we were growing as a group. Played some darned good hockey for a long time, and now it’s not quite working for us.
“But in saying that, I look at where we sit right now, I like where we’re at. We just have to straighten out some things in our game and I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to do that.’’
The defense has been shaky lately, but that can be somewhat attributed to the absence of McDonagh and Rutta. The bigger problem has been the special teams. The power play has been in a two-month funk, and the penalty kill has slipped a little in recent weeks.
As a 5-on-5 team, the Lightning are still one of the best in the league. Their goal differential at full strength (+38) is tops in the Eastern Conference and trails only Colorado (+50) in the NHL.
That means they have a little more than a month to fine-tune their special teams and get healthy. Cooper is right; this is not a bad place to be with 18 games remaining.
They’re not chasing records, but they are still in position to make some history.
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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Photos: Lightning defeated by Blackhawks 5-2
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