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# Tampa BAE Lightning Post Mortem/Preview Double Header
- URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/tampa-bae-lightning-post-mortempreview/
- Published: 2025-10-18T19:06:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T15:46:13.000Z
- Description: A loss & right back at it
- Author: Collin Sherwin
- Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHere we are again   
Another losing effort   
Bad until you're not

The Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the Detroit Red Wings in OT by a final tally of 2-1\. On the surface, not a bad final score, but check out the advanced stats to see a bigger problem.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/0b0e0dc5-1900-447a-8024-8135553e5da7_568x399.png)

The Lightning started the first period great on the faceoff dot winning over 60%, but they just went into free fall from there. Shots on goal look great on the surface until you find that the Bolts didn’t hit double digits in a period until the 3rd. The power play was anemic without Kucherov.

This team is just bad right now. Vasy doesn’t have a win on the season. The top line of Kucherov, Point, Guentzel is a combined -17\. Not a single defenseman is positive in terms of +/-.

On the game winning goal, Hedman was so deep in the offensive end and Hagel completely whiffed on playing the puck along the boards that Larkin was able to skate in on Vasy completely alone with more than enough to pick his shot that him not scoring would have been insulting to the city of Detroit.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have no sense of urgency right now. They didn’t really come alive until the 3rd period, but as is often the case with this team, it was too little too late.

The cherry on top: Jon Cooper got snippy with the press during his post game availability. It wasn’t in the official video released by the Lightning, but it was clear on the radio. He was asked about the play of the game and if he liked how things progressed and ended up. His answer was short and basically (I’m paraphrasing here) said “I don’t know. What do you think? Next question.”

That doesn’t work when you’ve only managed to win one game and are second to last in your division. Sure, it’s early in the season, but what has this team and coaching staff shown us to make us believe they’ll get right? For me, not much.

The Lightning head back on the ice tonight against the Blue Jackets. CBJ is 1-3-0 and currently riding a two game losing streak. On paper, the Lightning are definitely the more talented team. This game, by all means, is an inflection point.

The Lightning should beat Columbus. Absolutely. Winning this and then heading home to face the Blackhawks then Ducks should set up them up to start stringing together wins.

I don’t know what happens to team morale if they lose, but I sure don’t want to find out. It’s USF Homecoming so I have no problem missing this game in its entirety. At least the Bulls are winning.

Go Bulls! And, once again, prove me wrong Bolts. Please.