Tampa Bay Lightning's Speed, Skill Proving to Be Too Much for NHL's Best Goalies

The Tampa Bay Lightning are proof the NHL doesn't need bigger nets or any other gimmicks to increase scoring.

They are a goaltender's worst nightmare.

Just ask two of the NHL's best, Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist, neither of whom has had much fun in games against the Bolts all season long.

The latest forgettable outing for Lundqvist came Wednesday night in Tampa when the Lightning put six pucks past King Henrik, including the winner 3:33 into overtime to take Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final 6-5 and claim a 2-1 lead in the series.

One bad outing against them could be considered a fluke. A couple, maybe a coincidence. It's neither of those things. Lundqvist allowed more goals to the Lightning this season than any other team. A total of 14 over three regular-season games. Another 13 in three playoff contests—including back-to-back sixes.

"It's a tough one. It really is," Lundqvist told reporters after the game (via ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald). "It's really challenging for me the way they move the puck. The way they find open ice in the slot, and scoring chances right in front.

"I just need to dig deep here to try to be more consistent with my game plan. Try to challenge the shooter then they pass and sometimes you stay back. As a team, if we can be a little bit better, but also I have to be better. Honestly, you're not going to win if I give up six goals."

Lundqvist has allowed five or more goals just six times all season, including these playoffs. The Lightning have been the team to do it in four of those contests.

His save percentage in the regular season against the Bolts was .823, the lowest against any team he played more than once. Against the rest of the league combined, he was .929. Dennis Bernstein of the Fourth Period commented on "King Henrik's" performance:

"

King Henrik elite v 28 teams but oh that 29th.....

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) May 21, 2015"

Against one world-class goalie, maybe it's an anomaly. Against two, it's a trend. The Lightning did the same thing to Montreal Canadiens superstar Carey Price too.

Price struggled to a 0-4-1 record against the Lightning in the regular season. He had a 3.47 goals-against average in those games compared to a 1.87 GAA against the rest of the league.

In the playoffs, the Lightning scored 16 more on Price in a six-game series, getting the best of the Hart Trophy favorite once again.

The reason is blatantly obvious. It comes down to the Lightning's speed and the skill to finish.

The Triplets line of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov is blisteringly fast. They combined for four goals in Game 3, including Kucherov's overtime winner.

Steven Stamkos had arguably his best game of the postseason as well, physically asserting himself and leading the way with quick rushes through the neutral zone. He scored one of two goals not attributed to the work of the Triplets.

"The series is far from over, but this is a step in the right direction for us. If we can continue to keep playing fast, we're going to be OK," Stamkos told Pierre McGuire on the NHL Network after the win. "We're the top-scoring team in the league for a reason. We have so much skill up front. I think you saw that tonight. I think this is the first time I've seen a 6-5 game in the playoffs."

Lundqvist didn't look great, and the Rangers defense was out of sync and giving up way too much to the charging Lightning forwards, but the speed was simply overwhelming. The Bolts are committed to gaining the offensive zone while in full stride whenever possible.

"They're very skilled, for sure. Very stubborn at the offensive blue line and the neutral zone about trying to carry it in," Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh told reporters, as seen on the NHL Network. "We were definitely off our checks a handful of times. They're a very opportunistic team."

And the Lightning aren't about to slow down or change tactics. If anything, they're improving while gaining experience and confidence in the playoff environment. While Rangers coach Alain Vigneault will attempt to make adjustments to more aggressively pressure the Bolts forwards trying to carry the puck in, the risk remains that they will get burned by pure speed moves to the outside or a skillful attempt to bring it across the middle.

The Rangers have a big challenge ahead with the Lightning looking to take a stranglehold lead on the series with Game 4 at home on Friday. Coming into the series, many pegged the Bolts as underdogs. Considering their rapid growth as a group this spring and the proven ability to bounce back from their own mistakes, the Lightning are at least on equal footing as the rest of the NHL's final four teams.

Stamkos and company gave up the lead twice in the third period to get to overtime Wednesday, but they trailed themselves by a pair of goals in the first period before Stamkos' determined effort led to an opportunity to cut into the lead.

He picked Dan Boyle's pocket and started a rush the other way with Alex Killorn. A nice defensive effort by Derick Brassard helped stop Killorn, but Stamkos got the rebound and couldn't be caught.

Palat scored his first of two midway through the second period to tie it up and set up the go-ahead goal by Johnson a few minutes later. With less than six minutes in regulation, Palat put the Lightning ahead again with a patient move to the middle and a quick release that beat Lundqvist.

Kucherov scored the winner with a similar move higher up in the slot and launched a perfect shot past the netminder, who was left looking up at the big screen in disbelief as the Lightning celebrated.

"They've impressed me for a long time, and now they're impressing the world. It's fun to watch," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of the Triplets line in his scrum, as seen on the NHL Network.

"I don't know how it looks to everyone else, and I don't know how it looks on TV, but when you're standing there, it's just—pardon the pun—it's lightning-fast. It's just amazing, the skill level and the speed and the way these guys can play the way they do at that high pace."

Well, coach, it looks just as fast as you think.

Maybe even quicker for the poor goalies being left in your wake.

All stats via NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Steve Macfarlane has covered the NHL for more than a decade, including seven seasons following the Calgary Flames for the Calgary Sun. Follow him on Twitter at @macfarlaneHKY.