Tampa Bay Lightning’s Chemistry Undeniable

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a way of making things look easy—even though nothing in the postseason is. A large part of the team’s success is due to the chemistry each line possesses.

I have already written about the Triplets and I could probably write a couple more articles talking about how I cannot even fathom their postseason success (they played a key role in Game 3), but Tampa Bay’s other lines deserve recognition as well.

NBS Sports announcer Pierre McGuire spoke in Game 3 about the rise of the “Twins.” He was talking about Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. The duo has become a tour de force in the past few games for the Bolts. Each recorded a goal and assist in Game 3, Stamkos did the same in Game 2 and Killorn has two goals and an assist in Game 2.

"“I think with Filppula and Stamkos we’ve found some chemistry, for sure,” Killorn, 25, said. “We all know our role and what we bring to the line. I like to go into the corners and get the puck for those guys, and Filppula just opens up the whole ice. [Stamkos] likes to shoot it, but he wants us to shoot it as well.”“Other guys had to step up,” Stamkos said. “I think with Filppula and Killorn we’ve got some things going. We are physically engaged and playing well defensively and we were rewarded for our efforts tonight and we want to build on that.” [NHL.com]"

While Killorn is often overshadowed by the team’s superstars—Stamkos and Tyler Johnson mostly—he has revved up his game and is becoming a consistent and necessary piece to the winning puzzle. He is a big body that can lay down some hits, get in on the forecheck and pressure his opponents to turn over the puck. What really makes him dangerous is his will to improve. Killorn isn’t about the status quo; he wants to find ways to better himself. A player with that type of work ethic is always a danger. 

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Killorn and Stamkos complement one another, and have turned that chemistry into production. Filppula is an important part to that line, but he doesn’t have the numbers of Stamkos and Killorn. They are two guys with hot hands.

Another line for Tampa, which doesn’t have the production of the first two but is still getting opportunities, is the Brenden Morrow–Brian Boyle–J.T. Brown line. To be completely honest, Brown really impressed me in Game 3. I don’t follow the Lightning during the regular season, so I don’t know if he plays like that all the time, but WOW was he impactful. I don’t think there was one shift of his that the announcers didn’t mention his name. He was on the puck like crazy, getting scoring opportunities and, if anyone on the Lightning deserved to be the hero of the night, it was him. He came close in OT with a breakaway, but couldn’t find a way past Henrik Lundqvist.

Brown just seemed to have a jump in his step and his linemates followed suit. Each player on that line played a physical game, wearing down the New York Rangers defense. That line really grinded it out and, although there were a few hiccups in the game, they exemplified Tampa’s resilience.

The Rangers and Tampa Bay are similar in this way: they both play with high-emotion, speed and persistence. They don’t give up; they keep fighting to find a way to win. The real difference is the Lightning’s superstars, veterans and youngsters are all finding the back of the net, while the Rangers are having trouble finding players who can score.

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Tampa Bay has found its stride and its making hockey really fun to watch. At moments you see the youth in their lines, with intercepted passes, turnovers and juvenile penalties. But those are often forgotten when you see flashes of brilliance—passing sequences that could not possibly be put together by a couple of 20-somethings but are, and a team that has great hockey sense up and down the lineup.

Their chemistry is undeniable. Whether the rest of their swagger comes from their naivety, youth, or cockiness who knows. Maybe it’s a mix of all three. But whatever is turning Tampa into a high-scoring, depth-filled powerhouse needs to keep working if the Bolts want to put the Rangers away. Because, as we have come to know and admire about the Rangers, they will not go quietly.

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