It's not only the Habs who are having a sub-par start to the season. Tampa Bay is not much better, as the Lightning have only three wins in seven games so far this season, not to mention the fact that star forward Nikita Kucherov will once again have to miss a long period of time.
Another negative is the performance of Mikhail Sergachev. Although his two goals and five points are quite satisfactory on paper, the former CH first-round pick is struggling to gain his coach's trust, mainly because of a blatant lack of effort in his game.
The same treatment was meted out to him again on Tuesday after he was given a penalty in the first period. The number 98 reacted well to this latest penalty, however, as he played a crucial role in creating the game's first goal early in the second period.
Let's hope for Jon Cooper's sake that this isn't just a temporary reaction, but a wake-up call for Sergachev, as consistency has been a constant problem for him since his National Hockey League debut and with Kucherov out, the Lightning will need their entire roster to step up to the plate.
