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# Tampa BAE Lightning Post Mortem: Sensing Danger
- URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/tampa-bae-lightning-post-mortem-sensing/
- Published: 2025-10-25T15:01:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T15:46:12.000Z
- Description: It's Getting Late Early
- Author: Collin Sherwin
- Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAnother bad loss  
Utterly embarrassing  
Bad until you're not

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost again on home ice to the Chicago Blackhawks. On the stat sheet, the Lightning improved in shots and face-offs pretty dramatically. But the power play was not good. Penalties tilted to the Hawks advantage, though the Bolts PK was a strength on the night.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/e5819a5f-3d37-4b57-85d5-a6aff67e4e90_396x574.png)

Ultimately, this game can be traced down to three keys mistakes:

- **Emil Lilleberg is a major liability.** He leads the league in penalties taken. His first one gave the Hawks the opening goal. He’s been on the ice or taken a penalty that has led to six of the 24 goals scored against the team this year. I’m not sure what his net positive is right now, but Cooper has got to try something different on that 3rd pair.
- **Defense, as a whole, is atrocious.** The final goal should never have happened. Kucherov goes to make a play in the last minute and it gets the puck turned over. That sucks, yes. However, Kucherov is a player that gets some leeway when it comes to mistakes while making plays. That’s likely an unpopular opinion, but it’s true. Now that said, after his turnover. He should be hustling back to play defense and stick check. He doesn’t. Moser does make it back, but he makes the 100% wrong read.

Look at the diagram below. #90 is JJ Moser. He has made it back and is attempting to disrupt the play by #91 Frank Nazar for Chicago. Vasy has locked onto the Nazar and is blocking the shot.

#8 Ryan Donato is coming up fast. Kucherov #86 is there and should speed up to make the play, but really blame lies with Moser here, too. In an unbalanced attack, the goalie takes the shooter and the trailing defense takes the pass/rebound. In this case, Moser and Vasy focus on the shooter. No one grabs the rebound guy. Easy goal.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/f733f088-1a95-4fd4-85a8-c33a231799f8_814x430.png)

- **The Lightning are making way too many critical mistakes.** Between poorly timed penalties, bad turnovers, weak defense, lack of scoring there is so much blame to go around, but the entire team can be held accountable here. They’re just bad. That’s all.

On the post game show, Chief mentioned that the go ahead goal didn’t have anyone on the Lightning “sensing danger”. I think he was right, but that goes for the entire season. They are last place in their own division and we can say “It’s early!” all we want, but the fact of the matter is if they keep messing up and trailing behind, the road to catch up gets exponentially more difficult. The season is in danger of getting out of hand. Will they sense it? I guess we’ll find out.

I’m not writing a preview against the Ducks because I’m just annoyed with this team right now. I’m also not going to the game. I don’t want to ruin my weekend. I’ll be watching the Bulls and then celebrating Halloween early.

Go Bulls!