The last two weeks put the Tampa Bay Lightning through many challenges: disappointing home losses to the New York Rangers (7-3) and Vancouver Canucks (6-2), key player injuries, and underperforming leaders. The Bolts faced rivals without Victor Hedman, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Ryan McDonagh.
The team relied on call-ups and roster changes before almost every game. Yet, the Lightning made a few surprising moves, winning on the road against the Florida Panthers (3-1) and at home against the New Jersey Devils (5-1). Those two victories helped the Bolts move up a few spots and stay in eighth place for a few days. Unfortunately, everything has a price: two defensemen, Eric Cernak and Max Crozier, got injured.
The Lightning head coach, Jon Cooper, missed last Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s game against the Devils for personal reasons. While the details aren’t known (it doesn’t matter, just best of luck to the coach), it was great to see extra motivation and team effort trying to get back on track before another test. After all, the Edmonton Oilers were coming to town.
Thursday’s matchup against the Oilers was the best hockey for the Bolts this season. The NHL players rarely care about their games being nationally televised. But it looked like both teams had fun and showed a high level of competitiveness: speed, sharp one-timers, and difficult decisions. No wonder the game needed overtime. The Oilers scored at 1:31 in the opening period (Frederic), and the Lightning, who never gave up, tied it at 17:28 in the third. Nick Paul not only made his season debut but also registered his first goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was outstanding in his 15th start of the ongoing season, making 24 saves. But when a goalie plays against the Oilers, it’s not about the quantity of the shots. It’s about the quality of those shots and dangerous episodes around the slot. Zach Hyman (4), Connor McDavid (3), Jake Walman (3), Vasily Podkolzin (2), and Leon Draisaitl (1) kept Vasilevskiy busy all night. Interestingly, 16 out of the 18 Oilers on the roster had at least one shot.
Another amusing fact is that Nikita Kucherov, McDavid, and Draisaitl are all Art Ross Trophy (most points in regular season) winners, who have alternated holding the award since 2016-2017. They just didn’t let anyone in.
- McDavid won in 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2020-201, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023
- Draisaitl won in 2019-2020
- Kucherov won in 2018-2019, 2023-2024, 2024-2025
So, it was a hot hockey evening. The only reason McDavid left without a point was because of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Both Kucherov and McDavid spent over 23 minutes on the ice at the Benchmark International Arena. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime and moved to sixth place in the East.
Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov are picking up their game, with #59 collecting five goals, including a hat trick against the New Jersey Devils, and #86 logging two goals and two assists over the last three games. On the other hand, the team needs to find its consistency and get every key player back on the roster.
The Bolts will have two home games before Thanksgiving. On Monday, the team will face the Philadelphia Flyers, and after that, the Calgary Flames.