Burns: 3 Things we learned from listless loss to Arizona

Tampa Bay learned its lesson about playing down to opponents with poor records last season when a 1-5-0 combined mark against the three worst teams in the NHL likely kept the Lightning out of a playoff position.
Or at least they thought playing down to their opponents was a thing of the past.

The Lightning were 11-1-0 against teams that swept them last season, but a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes Monday night at AMALIE Arena has them scratching their head.
With Boston nipping at their heels, the Bolts could hardly afford to drop a game to the lowly Coyotes. Now the Bruins have a chance to tie the Lightning in the Atlantic Division standings ahead of their huge showdown Thursday in Boston, a matchup that could effectively decide the division champion.
The Bolts have two practice days upcoming to regroup.
Here's what they'll be focusing on.

1. SCORING SLUMP CONTINUES
Hard to believe a team ranked at the top of the NHL standings for goals and setting all kinds of franchise marks for goals in a season could suddenly be concerned with scoring.
But that's where we are with the Lightning right now.
Coming off the heels of a one-goal effort Saturday night in New Jersey, the Bolts again struggled to find the back of the net two nights later versus Arizona, the Coyotes stifling Tampa Bay's vaunted offensive attack and limiting the Lightning to just 20 shots on goal, their second-lowest effort of the season, and one goal, that coming on a late power play with the fate of the game pretty much decided.
"We were a little flat obviously," veteran Tampa Bay forward Chris Kunitz said. "We didn't generate enough shots. They're a team that works hard. They know what they are working for, to get better and maybe playing for contracts. We have to match their intensity, and we just didn't execute as well as we needed to against some of their pressure."
The Coyotes followed the Devils blueprint for shutting down the Lightning's high-powered attack. They clogged up the neutral zone, didn't allow the Bolts to get their speed game going and mucked up the game to the point the Lightning were unable to get into any flow offensively.
"We had a tough night on the time and space tonight, they did a good job on us," Bolts head coach Jon Cooper said. "When we had pucks in some areas, they were on us quick. They had some really good sticks. It was tough early on. We just couldn't get anything through, shots blocked and they were going the other way. They played a good game. They played fast."
Could the Lightning be focusing so much on their defensive issues that their offensive game has suffered as a result?
"I don't think so, I mean it's a possibility maybe, but you look around this room at the offensive talent we have I don't think there's anything we can do to hinder it," Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman said. "I think it's in us. We just couldn't find it today."

2. CONFIDENCE SHAKEN?
Lightning goaltender Louis Domingue summed it up best during his postgame comments after a 31-of-34 save effort against his former team.
"We're looking for our swagger back," he said.
When Tampa Bay was steamrolling teams through the first half of the season to build a big advantage in the standings, the Lightning were full of confidence. It seemed every time they stepped on the ice, they could do no wrong.
But now that the grind of the season has caught up to them, as well as some teams in the standings, the Lightning seem to be a team searching to regain that air of invincibility.
When things go wrong in the game, the Bolts used to think: We'll fight through this.
Now it's: Here we go again.
"It was one of those things where I think we lost our confidence a little when things weren't going our way," Cooper said about the way Monday's loss played out. "We would get in the offensive zone and it's almost like we were one and done, it was one off the net and then there was a whistle. We just couldn't get our mojo going in the offensive zone, and it was probably a little frustrating for the guys."
To be certain, there's no panic in the Lightning locker room. To a man, the players feel this is just a momentary blip on the radar, and they'll be able to get back to the way they need to play before the playoffs start.
But for Lightning fans, it's maddening to watch a team that was so dominant early in the season look so ordinary of late.
"We're a team that's won 51 games for a reason," Kunitz reassured. "We can go out there and play the right style. We just have to bring our execution level up, our motivation to go out there every single night and getting better is something we have to get better at, whether it's a practice or a game. We're going to try and do that looking forward to the playoffs."

3. ERNE'S INJURY COMPOUNDS BOLTS' ISSUE
The Tampa Bay Lightning were already starting with 11 forwards when they hosted the Coyotes because of the 11 forward, seven defensemen alignment the Bolts put on the ice for the third-consecutive game.
That number quickly dropped to 10.
In the first period, Adam Erne was battling with a Coyotes skater and went down hard into the corner boards and down to the ice, where he remained on his knees to collect himself until Lightning athletic trainer Tom Mulligan came out to tend to him.
After a few moments, Erne was helped to his feet and assisted off the ice by Braydon Coburn. He gingerly made his way down the tunnel to the locker room and did not return to the game.
Cooper didn't know the extent of Erne's injury following the game.
"I don't have an update yet," he said. "He's sore, so we'll have to see tomorrow."
Erne has earned a regular spot in the Lightning lineup since being recalled from AHL Syracuse on February 8. The 22-year-old forward has skated in 22-straight games for the Bolts, recording three goals and an assist and ranking sixth on the Bolts for hits per game (1.7).
His loss certainly didn't help the Lightning's effort in a game where grit and toughness were sorely missing.
The Lightning were missing captain Steven Stamkos too, who was forced to sit his first game of the season with a lower-body injury. Stamkos is considered day-to-day.
"(The Coyotes) checked hard, their D gapped up, their forwards are fast," Kunitz said. "A team that plays like that, you're surprised that they're maybe that low in the standings, but we needed a better effort. Obviously, we are missing one of our top guys and that took a little of our edge off, but we need to get better as a team."