As we roll toward the NHL’s three day holiday break, it’s clear that one team is head and shoulders above the rest….the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts currently have an eight point lead in the standings over the rest of the league and have done so while facing a couple injuries to major players.
Early on in the campaign the team lost stud defenseman, Victor Hedman, for seven games due to an upper body injury. The team went 5-2 without him. Then they lost their starting goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, to a broken foot for 15 games. They went 12-3 in the 15 game stretch. The team was unfazed by the injuries and have gotten themselves to a 27-7-2 record on December 21st.
Offensively they’re led by Nikita Kucherov, who is picking up right where he left off last season. Following a 100 point campaign in 2017-18, he has 15 goals and 37 assists in the team’s 36 games this season. He’s joined by Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Yanni Gourde, J.T. Miller, and Tyler Johnson as the offensive leaders of the club. And you can’t forget depth guys like Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn.
On the defensive side of things the Lightning are led by Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. The two anchor the Bolts top two defensive pairings and are joined by Anton Stralman, Brayden Coburn, Dan Girardi and Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev, the second year Russian, has seen some struggles this season but has shown that he’s a tremendous defender when at the top of his game.
And the final line of defense is the goaltending, which has been spectacular. Vasilevskiy is undoubtedly one of the best goalies on the planet right now and Louis Domingue has proven to be an extremely reliable backup. Having two solid goalies is super important in today’s NHL and will be key for the club if they want to go the distance this spring.
When the second half of the NHL season begins after the holiday break, the Lightning will be leading the pack and looking for blood. They had the talent needed to win last year but fell short to the eventual champs, the Washington Capitals. This year it feels different. If the Bolts stay healthy during the playoffs they’ll be a tough out. It won’t be an easy road for the club but with their depth and all-around talent, it really seems like the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to capture their second Stanley Cup title in June.
-Kevin Maggiore
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