Lightning, Flames two different teams

Run ’N’ Gun versus Crash ’N’ Bang.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames meet in a Stanley Cup final that has the potential to be the most entertaining in several years, undoubtedly more than last year’s mind-numbing trap festival between the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
“These are both fun teams, they are exciting teams,” Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said yesterday.
Neither club sits back like the trap teams of today’s NHL, both pressing the issue with an aggressive forecheck. But that’s where the similarity ends.
Tampa is an offensive juggernaut led by Hart Trophy favourite Martin St. Louis, who leads the playoffs in scoring with 18 points, and a stellar supporting cast of Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Fredrik Modin, and Cory Stillman.
In contrast, Olympic hero Jarome Iginla is Calgary’s lone offensive star, although the Hart Trophy nominee may be the best overall player in the entire series.
Consider that Craig Conroy was second in scoring for the Flames this season with 47 points, which would have been good for sixth on the Lightning, who were third in the NHL with 245 goals.
The Lightning use their speed and quickness to stretch out opposing defences and forecheck aggressively. Most NHL clubs still forecheck in a 1-2-2 system—meaning only one forward deep in the opposing zone without the puck.
But not the ’Bolts. They come in numbers and apply intense pressure on the opposing defencemen to make the right outlet pass.
“They’re a very fast team that has an aggressive forecheck,” said Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr. “And they love to use that to put pressure on the opposition to create turnovers and capitalize on those turnovers.”
Do the Lightning ever get caught? Sure they do. But they use that same quickness to get back in their zone in a hurry and they have a capable goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin.
Tampa’s forecheck will put a lot of pressure on Calgary’s young blueline to make the right play in a hurry.
“I know they’re fast, and I know they’re going to come hard,” said Flames defenceman Mike Commodore. “There isn’t going to be a lot of time for me to be dipsy-doodling out there.
“I know I’m going to have to get rid of the puck quick.”
Regehr, who along with his teammates met a crush of media at Tampa’s practice facility yesterday, agreed with Commodore but also added a kicker.
“We also need to go after them and really make sure we’re bringing our style of play to them, too,” Regehr said.
You can forgive the 5’7” St. Louis for wincing if he heard Regehr’s comment. There hasn’t been a team in recent memory that has checked with the same voracity and punishing style of the Flames.
It makes for the kind of bone-crunching hits that lift fans out of their seats.
“It’s a fun style of play but you also expend a lot of energy,” Regehr said.
The Flames hit hard and often, always finishing their checks. It left the veteran Detroit Red Wings black and blue in the second round and resulted in many of their skilled players not wanting to fight for the puck with those crazy Calgary players.
And while the high-flying Lightning like to get their offence off the rush on the fast break, the Flames will try to work the puck down low in the offensive zone and grind their way to a scoring chance—likely a rebound or deflection-type goal.