The Lightning are set to start the new year off with a jam-packed month of January, beginning first with a matchup against the San Jose Sharks. In total they’ll play sixteen times, including four sets of back-to-back games in just 21 days.
“This is a tough stretch, I think we’re in a hotel room 16 of the next 23 nights,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “This is one that we’ve got to grind through, and I’d expect that we will.”
The month of December proved to be a big one for the Lightning, giving them the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference heading into the last weekend of 2024. As a team, they began putting the details of their game together, and in doing so, won 8 of eleven games total.
Although it was a successful month, the Lightning didn’t necessarily like the way they played against the New York Rangers. The 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday didn’t sit well with them either.
“I think it just comes down to details. I don’t think we’re playing an out of control game,” said forward Brandon Hagel. “I just think we were doing really well in the D-zone, doing good things, almost to perfection, and then we just fell away from that a little bit.“
“Even in the offensive zone sometimes, just not forcing things or turning the puck over, getting it behind them and going to work.”
Hagel attributes some of the Lightning’s recent mishaps to the natural ‘ebbs and flows’ of the season.
“I think at the end of the day, you’re going to go through some highs and lows in the season. In my opinion, the sign of a good team is, how fast can you get out of it?”
The Lightning currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, just six points back from the Florida Panthers, who are in first place. Still, the Lightning have played four fewer games than the Panthers. As the schedule begins to pick up in the second half of the season, the hope is that the numbers will start to balance out.
The team knows the month of January will be a challenge with the amount of travel and back-to-back games, but it’s one they’re fully ready to take on.
“You focus on mentally, getting yourself amped up and excited. Getting back to that competitive edge that you need to go out and battle and make some things happen out there,” said veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
“You want to be sharp, you’ve got to put yourself in good spots out there and not try to have a lot of risk in the game, and definitely keep it a little simple.”
