Lightning power play could be key in Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final

The Coaches Room is a regular feature throughout the 2019-20 season by former NHL coaches and assistants who turn their critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. Rob Zettler and Rob Cookson will take turns providing insight throughout the Stanley Cup Final.
In this edition, Cookson, a former video coach with the Philadelphia Flyers and former assistant with the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames, breaks down Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars and looks ahead to Game 3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS). The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1.

The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars have been interesting because there has been no consistency from either side as far as controlling play. It seems like it's been going period by period.
But after a 3-2 victory in Game 2 on Monday, the Lightning appear to be gradually working their way into a more confident game heading into Game 3 on Wednesday in Edmonton, the hub city for the Cup Final. Beginning with the third period of Dallas' 4-1 win in Game 1 on Saturday, Tampa Bay has been playing similar to how it played in the early stages of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders, when it had more cohesion in its game.
If you look at the third period Saturday and the first period Monday, the Lightning had more than 20 scoring chances in each of those periods. That's unheard of in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tampa Bay came out ready to go in Game 2; it showed more quickness, was first on the puck all over the ice, forced turnovers and won more of the battles.
The Stars took some uncharacteristically poor penalties in the first period, and the Lightning power play, which was 0-for-14 in the previous four games, went 2-for-3 in the first period. As much as Dallas did not want to take penalties, the pursuit and determination of Tampa Bay forced these situations.
This started in the third period of Game 1, when the Lightning outshot the Stars 22-2, and like in the first period Monday, had three straight power plays. Dallas played better in the second period, but already had taken itself out of the game in the first period.
And when you do that, especially in the playoffs, it's a big hill to climb.

Tampa Bay's execution on the power play Monday was improved, and by putting forward Ondrej Palat in place of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on the left side on the first unit, I think that helped the chemistry a little bit. Palat allowed forward Nikita Kucherov to have a little more control of the power play and handle the puck a lot more on the right side.
Sometimes that's important. There always are going to be players who drive a line or drive the power play, and I thought Kucherov needed that freedom to do just that. He made great passes to set up the power-play goals scored by center Brayden Point and Palat, and he shot the puck.
Dallas made a mistake on each power-play goal by not taking the slot area away with the strong-side penalty killing forward, Blake Comeau. On that side the most dangerous player is Point, with his one-time shooting position from the slot.
Victor Hedman is a threat at the point any time on the power play, but the Lightning defenseman is not a one-timer threat from that side. By denying the pass to Point, the threat of a one-timer is taken away and Kucherov likely would have to reset.
Stars defenseman Andrej Sekera also could have stayed free and been in a better position, halfway between Lightning forward Alex Killorn in front and Point in the slot, giving him the ability to get his stick on the puck.
On Palat's power-play goal, Hedman and Kucherov each made great fake-shot passes to open the penalty killing box. As with Point's goal, Sekera chose to tie up the net-front forward, Killorn, instead of staying free to have the ability to step out and front the shot and the play. That would have given him an opportunity to block Palat's shot or force it wide.
One positive for Dallas is how it has limited Tampa Bay's opportunities off the rush so far. The Stars have done a great job in the neutral zone of getting numbers above the puck and defending through the neutral zone.
They also have gotten to a lot of pucks that were put into their zone off forecheck situations.

The Dallas defensemen are much more mobile than those of the New York Islanders. They can move the puck a lot better and get to pucks a lot quicker, and that has taken away some of Tampa Bay's forecheck and rush opportunities. Overall, the Stars appear to have a little more quickness and they're more determined to get on pucks and to take transition situations away from the Lightning's defense.
But there has been such wild inconsistency from period to period. In the second period Monday, Dallas got a power play early and got a goal from center Joe Pavelski on the man-advantage, and also carried the pace of the period. The third period was pretty much an even situation.
Stars coach Rick Bowness' patience with the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov probably is wearing a little thin.
I don't think Seguin, who has one assist in his past 11 games, has played as well as he can. Most of his looks have come on the power play. Benn has played great and Radulov has been inconsistent.
Pavelski is playing really well on the second line with Denis Gurianov and Mattias Janmark, who scored the third-period goal that helped Dallas close the gap to 3-2. And Pavelski is so good on faceoffs (11-4 in Game 2).
So you wonder at what point the Stars move their top six forwards around. Like in the conference finals, it's about the top players playing like top players.
Dallas has done a better job of understanding how Tampa Bay plays and where its strengths and weaknesses are. It just needs some consistency and discipline in its game.