Steven Stamkos knows the Bolts have to be better away from home.
“We’re known as a team that can’t win on the road right now,” he told the St. Petersburg Times following Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Rangers at MSG. “It’s embarrassing.
“Especially [Sunday’s] effort. We couldn’t even make a pass out there.”
Sunday’s loss wrapped Tampa’s abbreviated three-game roadie -- Saturday’s game at TD Garden in Boston was postponed due to the winter storm -- and the Bolts might’ve been glad it got cancelled.
They were outscored 11-4 over the three games and went 0-for-10 on the power play, stunningly low offensive output for a team that leads the NHL in goals per game (3.91) and has the league’s second-best power play (28.3 percent).
All told, Tampa is now 1-4 on the road and has been outscored 11-16.
“We’ve got to find a way,” Stamkos said. “I feel like we keep saying that every time. We’re a lot better team than we’re playing on the road.”
Bolts head coach Guy Boucher was as disappointed as Stamkos, if not more.
"[That was] “as bad as we’ve played all year,” he said following Sunday’s loss. “Total impatience. Not smart, trying to cheat and find ways that don’t exist.”