"I think ever since I've been here, we've done a really good job of judging ourselves on performance over outcome," said Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde. "Last night was a pretty good performance. We did a lot of good things in areas we want to tighten up - our D-zone, some neutral zone play. There were some details within our game that we did a really good job with - we just didn't get the result.
"[It was] frustrating for the outcome, because of late we haven't played probably the right way and we got what we deserved. Last night we did, and we didn't [get the result], so we just have to build on that."
Tampa Bay will look to bounce back at 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Buffalo Sabres at AMALIE Arena. Friday was a step in the right direction with stronger play and one point. The Bolts will look to take another step forward and grab two points for the first time in five games.
"The message is, going forward, play the right way," Lalonde said. "Continue to improve in some of those areas and we'll flip the outcome of last night."
While the Lightning had not lost four-straight games since 2020, slumps are bound to happen during an 82-game season. The Bolts have 11 regular-season games remaining to get through their skid and gain some momentum heading into the postseason.
"Obviously we haven't got the points that we want to get or the wins that we want to get, but every team goes through these stretches," Brandon Hagel said on Saturday. "It's how you come out of it. I think it will make us better, especially later in the season going into playoffs.
"I think eventually we're going to get out of it. These guys have won for so long. It's a little bit of adversity for everyone - new guys and just the team itself. I think everyone's handled it really well staying positive in the dressing room and knowing that at some point we're going to get out of it."
The third and final matchup with the Sabres this season serves as the next chance for the Bolts to break out of their slump. Tampa Bay last met Buffalo on January 11 and walked away with a 6-1 win behind a hat trick from Nikita Kucherov and a three-point night for Steven Stamkos with a goal and two assists.
Big performances from Kucherov and Stamkos would be a welcomed sight for Lightning fans and coaches alike. In 27 career games against Buffalo, Kucherov has recorded 30 points with 15 goals and 15 assists. Stamkos has skated in 44 career games against the Sabres, scoring 19 goals and adding 20 helpers for 39 points.
