Burns: 3 Things we learned from a second-straight loss in Arizona

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Patrick Maroon had the best comment following his team's second-consecutive loss on the heels of the Bolts' franchise record 11-game win streak.
"Sometimes you get too high, too low, maybe it came to us," he said. "…Maybe it was just bound to happen. This team can't get too down on themselves right now. It's a game where you burn the tape, move on and come ready Tuesday to play a great Toronto team."

The Lightning lost two straight in regulation for just the second time this season following a 7-3 blowout loss to the Arizona Coyotes Saturday night at Gila River Arena to cap a three-game win streak. Three days ago, the Lightning were the hottest team in the League having won 11 in a row and closing within a point of the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.
Now suddenly, they're wondering what happened to their game following back-to-back losses in which they gave up a combined 12 goals.
That's why Maroon's words ring so prophetic. Teams (and fans) can't get too high on themselves after winning a bunch of games in a row and can't get too down either when things don't go their way for a couple games. The teams that manage to keep an even keel throughout, who can navigate the ups and downs of a long, 82-game regular season without overreacting to wins or losses are usually the teams left standing at the end of the season.
The Bolts have some work to do to figure out what's gone wrong the last two games.
But let's also not forget this team has been one of the best in the NHL, if not the best, since the holiday break and a bump in the road was bound to happen.
Here's why it happened again in Arizona.

1. A DEPLETED PENALTY KILL
Tampa Bay's penalty kill has been one of the best in the NHL from November on, the unit recovering from a dismal first month of the season.
But recently, the penalty kill hasn't been that stalwart the Lightning could count on game after game.
The Bolts have allowed a power-play goal in four-straight games now after going 3-for-5 on the penalty kill in Arizona. The Lightning allowed multiple power-play goals for the second time in the last four contests.
Since February 8, the Bolts are killing penalties at a 71.4 percent rate, just 25th in the NHL over that stretch.
"I think we kind of got away to our system a little bit," Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli said. "Obviously went on a little bit of a run there the previous couple of months, so goals are going to go in and lately they have been. We've just got to reset here and refocus and watch some video and see where we can be better."
Arizona utilized its power play to send the Lightning to their largest margin of defeat of the season. Entering the second period with a 2-1 lead, the Coyotes extended their advantage to two goals after Carl Soderberg popped a shot up and over the glove of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy from the edge of the crease. The Bolts had been pretty good on that particular penalty kill, at least over the first minute of the power play. They had the puck in Arizona's end and created a couple decent scoring chances, Blake Coleman getting some extended run with the unit and showing how valuable he can be in that role going forward. Even some boos started to rain down from the rafters with the Coyotes inability to possess the puck.
Maybe those boos provided a spark because Arizona was much more dangerous over the second minute of the power play, producing three really good scoring chances before Soderberg was able to cash in on the final one.
In the third period with the Bolts trailing 5-3, Conor Garland scored the second of his two goals on the night on a power play, a dagger goal that pretty much sealed the win. The Lightning got just one brief power play, didn't convert and were thoroughly outplayed in the special teams department in Saturday's loss.

2. INJURIES CATCHING UP TO BOLTS
To a man, Lightning players didn't want to use injuries as an excuse for the team's poor effort the last two games, but you can't discount how much continually losing key players is affecting their performance.
The Lightning were dealt a few more blows Saturday. They got Brayden Point back after he missed the Vegas game with an illness but lost Cedric Paquette and Mitchell Stephens to lower-body injuries, neither one able to go in Arizona. Midway through the second period, Erik Cernak got up slowly and appeared to be in pain as he skated off to the bench at the end of a shift. He didn't return, the Bolts announcing he too had sustained a lower-body injury.
With Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta already sidelined, that's now three of the Lightning's top four defenseman that are out. Perhaps that's as good a reason as any why the Bolts' have allowed 12 goals over the last two games after going the previous 22 straight not giving up more than three in any contest.
"It's easy to blame that. That's not who we are," Victor Hedman said. "We've been battling injuries for a long time. I think we've done a great job of overcoming that. Bottom line is we've got to play better and not give up as many goals and just be better as a team."
The penalty kill has probably been the most affected by the numerous injuries. McDonagh was the leader of that unit and ranks in the top 10 in the NHL for average shorthanded time on ice. Rutta is a valuable contributor on the penalty kill too.
Paquette is one of a handful of forwards that always hops over the wall to kill penalties.
He wasn't available in Arizona.
Stephens has been a stalwart winning draws on the penalty kill so the Bolts can clear the zone and munch seconds off the opponent's power play.
He wasn't available in Arizona.
And then losing Cernak, another defenseman who gets regular penalty kill minutes, further compounded the lack of bodies on the unit.
"I'm sure it's not helping, but we've got a system," a dejected Jon Cooper said following the loss. "It's worked well the last few months. We've just got to be better."

3. QUICK RESPONSE UNRAVELS BOLTS
After falling behind 3-1 early in the second period, the Lightning battled hard to find their way back into the game.
Ondrej Palat scored on a rebound at 8:45 of the second to cut the deficit to a goal. Brayden Point one-timed a shot past Arizona goalie Antti Raanta from the edge of the crease off a heady pass from behind the net by Steven Stamkos to level the score 3-3 at 10:11 of the second.
At that point, it seemed the Bolts were back in business and would eventually take over the game.
A desperate Arizona team had other ideas, however.
Just 53 seconds after Point's game-tying goal, Brad Richardson got inside position on Yanni Gourde as he skated into the slot and was able to one-time Taylor Hall's pass to him past Vasilevskiy to put the Coyotes back in front.
They never looked back.
"Yeah, obviously we tie it up and then the next shift we give one up," Cirelli said. "…We've just got to, goals are going to happen, they're going to score goals. We've just got to move on from that and keep chipping away and keep playing our game."
Richardson's quick response goal would be the first of four consecutive goals for Arizona to close out the contest. The Lightning would never threaten in the game the rest of the way.
"We start to get frustrated when things don't go our way," Maroon said. "I think that's when things start to creep back in our game, and we don't want to see that. If we play a full 60 minutes and lose the right way, we'll take that loss and accept it and move on. I think right now things are creeping back into our game. We get a little frustrated when that stuff happens and we're losing our focus and we found ways to chase the game instead of just playing the right way, being smart with the puck. We'll bounce back here."