Slumping Golden Knights embrace tough task vs. Lightning

TAMPA, Fla. — If you’re battling an upset stomach, chowing down on a spicy burrito probably isn’t the ideal remedy.

When feelings of loneliness creep in, logging on Facebook to look at an ex’s profile doesn’t help.

And when you’re mired in a franchise-record losing streak, the last team you seemingly would want to see on the schedule is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But the Golden Knights are embracing the challenge of facing the NHL’s best team Tuesday at Amalie Arena, regardless of their current skid.

“No better way to get out of a slump than play against the best team in the league. I know our guys are fired up about it,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “It’ll be nice to play a team that you know you’ve got to give everything you got in order to win the game.

“If you can come out victorious (Tuesday) and get you going in the other direction, I think that’s a really big part for this next month.”

The Knights have lost four straight and six of their past eight yet still hold an eight-point cushion over fourth-place Vancouver in the Pacific Division.

Coach Gerard Gallant noted after Monday’s practice that he liked the way his team played in the 3-1 loss at Florida on Saturday, with the exception of a few major mistakes.

But the Knights certainly won’t get away with those against Tampa Bay, which can earn its 40th victory.

“Sometimes when you’re on a little bit of a losing skid, you’ve got to do the simple, little things, and that’s what gets you out of it,” right wing Reilly Smith said. “No panic in this dressing room, but at the same time, there is a lot of emphasis and focus on working hard and doing the little things right.”

The Lightning lead the NHL in most significant categories, including points (80), goals for (205) and goal differential (plus-59).

They own the best home record at 20-5 and have lost one home game since Nov. 29, a 4-2 setback to Toronto on Jan. 17.

Nikita Kucherov is a Hart Memorial Trophy candidate as the league’s most valuable player, and his 80 points top the league.

“We’ve lost a lot of games lately, and I think it could be good timing for us to win against the best team in the league,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “We hit a slump at the beginning of the year and we’ve been doing good since, and this is the second slump of the year if you look at it.

“It’s just about maybe being a little more simple. Sometimes you get out there and you work really hard, but you need to work smart.”

Schmidt admitted the losing skid has dented the Knights’ confidence, comparing it to a baseball player who hits .450 in June and then slumps to a .220 batting average the next month.

“I just think, you maybe lose a couple games, you lose that confidence to go make the plays,” he said.

But the Knights have won two of their three meetings against Tampa Bay, including a 4-1 victory Jan. 18, 2018, at Amalie Arena.

The Lightning won the first matchup this season, 3-2 at T-Mobile Arena, but were held to one shot on goal in the third period by the Knights.

“We’re going to do the same things we’ve done for a year and a half and we’ll come out of this thing because, like I said, it’s not like we’re getting beat bad,” Gallant said. “It’s not like we’re playing real bad hockey. We’re just making some mistakes. We’ll find some puck luck again.”

More Golden Knights: Follow at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKnights and @HockeyinVegas on Twitter.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.