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For Lightning, time to improve play on the road is now

As they embark on another road-heavy stretch, the Lightning first head north for two games against the red-hot Devils.
 
Lightning left wing Alex Killorn tries to gain control of the puck during the third period against the Jets on Sunday. The next two games for Tampa Bay will be on the road against the Devils.
Lightning left wing Alex Killorn tries to gain control of the puck during the third period against the Jets on Sunday. The next two games for Tampa Bay will be on the road against the Devils. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]
Published March 13, 2023

TAMPA — If the Lightning are going to make another deep run in the playoffs, they need to be a better team on the road.

They have never been intimidated playing away from Amalie Arena, and in the past two postseasons, they successfully navigated not having home-ice advantage on their path to the Stanley Cup final. (In 2020, all postseason teams played in the bubble in Canada, thanks to the pandemic.)

But ultimately, the Lightning have to be better than their current sub-.500 away record. They are 15-16-1, their 31 road points tied for 20th in the league.

“We’ve done really well at home (24-6-5 record),” Lightning forward Alex Killorn said. “But especially getting ready for playoffs, you’ve got to be a good team on the road. Maybe it’s keeping things a little bit more simple.”

Their just-completed homestand was no cakewalk. The four-game, six-day stretch included their third straight weekend back-to-back, and the Lightning got five points out of a possible eight, but still felt they should have earned more.

“I think we have enough guys in this room that have played for a long time and understand the ebbs and flows of a season,” Killorn said. “So we’re going on the road (at New Jersey) to play two games against a really good team.”

With just more than a month before the beginning of the postseason — the playoffs are slated to tentatively begin April 17 — the time teams have to hone their games is running out.

“There’s only a certain amount of games left,” Lightning forward Corey Perry said. “Before the playoffs, guys are pushing, teams are starting to push and starting to ramp their game up a little bit. We’re finding (it), we’re starting to play the right way, but at the same time, we’ve still got a little bit more (to go).”

Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63) celebrates after scoring a goal with Jonas Siegenthaler (71) and Dougie Hamilton against the Hurricanes on Sunday. The Lightning face them three times in the next four games. [ ADAM HUNGER | AP ]

The Lightning will spend four days in one city for two games against the Devils on Tuesday and Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Lightning will play six of their next eight games over a 15-day stretch away from home. So it is one of their last chances to build road momentum.

Being stationed in one place, and concentrating on one opponent (three of the Lightning’s next four games are against the Devils) should help. It will resemble more of a playoff environment and conjures up memories of the 2021 regionally realigned 56-game schedule, in which teams played a series of games against their division opponents.

“It could be good for us to get out of here for a week,” Perry said. “We’re in one city, one spot for a week so it could be good for us. It’s something different. You’re kind of going back to the COVID year when you did it a few times but. It could be beneficial for everybody.”

The Lightning will avoid the jet-setting rigors of the road going from city to city, which had definitely hampered them over the past month. Their last eight road games dating to Feb. 11 included three back-to-back sets; the Lightning were 2-3-1 in those games, losing all three back ends.

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“For us, we’re getting in hotels a lot at like 3:30 in the morning,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s different when you’re traveling in the north. And all of a sudden, now it’s snowing out and the plane has to be de-iced, now that’s adding 45 minutes to your trip. So there’s a lot that goes into it that people probably don’t see. But that’s the challenge for being back-to-back in the north as opposed to down here in the south.”

Players will wake up in the same beds during the upcoming trip, but their opponent will be no sleeper.

The Devils have been one of the league’s best teams since the calendar turned, going 21-5-4 since Jan. 1. After a 3-0 win over Carolina on Sunday, New Jersey is tied with the Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division with 94 points. The Devils boast the fourth-best scoring offense in the league (3.53 goals a game) and their plus-58 goal differential is second in the Eastern Conference to Boston.

“You can’t be cute on the road,” Perry said. “It’s simple, boring hockey, and I think New Jersey’s come a long way. There’s a lot of skill on that team and they’re feeling it and they’re playing well.”

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