TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning have struggled in the first month of the new year. The Bolts are 6-7-1 in January, with all eight of those losses coming on the road.
Tampa Bay’s schedule has been a grind, and that’s what makes this upcoming five-game home stand even more critical.
“There is no team in the league that has had a schedule like us in January,” head coach Jon Cooper said. “We’ve played 14 games in 24 days in three time zones, and 10 of them are on the road. Fatigue might be a bit of an issue there, too.”
“It’s tough,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh added. “Physically, I think when you’re a pro hockey player, you can get yourself up for games, but it’s just the mentalist of being sharp with the execution.”
The Lightning have fallen in the Eastern Conference standings to the eighth and final playoff spot. Statistically, they should be better. Tampa Bay leads their division in goal differential, goals for, and goals against.
“It’s been a weird year in a sense you leave your head scratching because you’re amazed you didn’t get points out of the game,” Cooper said. “The eye test is telling you, the statistics are telling you, but ultimately it’s the result. At some point, they got to start going our way.”
It hasn’t worked out that way, especially against division opponents. Tampa Bay has gone 3-9 against teams from the Atlantic this season.
So, just maybe, this five-game home stand can provide some relief.
“It’s a relief if you win them. If you come back here and don’t,” Cooper said.
The Lightning begin their five-game home stand Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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