After the Olympic break, the Tampa Bay Lightning suffered six losses in seven games. It was time to recharge and show a stronger team effort. Nikita Kucherov highlights the Lightning’s attempted turnaround.
What Went Wrong
Starting Dec. 20, 2025, the Tampa Bay Lightning turned its season around and became the hottest team in the NHL, winning 19 of 21 games. Their performance earned them the first spot in the Eastern Conference. Every detail seemed to work like a Swiss watch, and on-ice chemistry was flawless.
After this high point, Jon Cooper and Brandon Hagel were busy representing Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, while nine other players joined their national teams. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster had a week off before returning to team practices in Brandon, FL. Nikita Kucherov is the only exception, who spent some quality time on individual training with Adam Oates.
However, when all of the Bolts got back together after the break, everything fell apart. It looked like someone jinxed them. While their NHL opponents prepared themselves in full force against the Lightning, Tampa’s chemistry disappeared. Chaos in defense, a weaker goaltending from Jonas Johansson, excessive fighting, and penalty minutes followed. Two recent events were turning points: an 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with 57 penalty minutes and a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets with 15 penalty minutes. The unnatural brutality doesn’t fit the Lightning’s culture. It was time to wake up.
Back to Positives
Thursday’s 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings was an important confidence boost for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves each scored twice. The hosts improved to one hooking penalty in 60 minutes.
Nikita Kucherov collected two assists to total 106 points in the season and 1100 in his NHL career. This incredible achievement put him in 19th place in the league’s history to reach 1100 points in fewer than 900 contests. He has points in nine consecutive games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy celebrated his 30th win in the 2025-26 campaign. Defenseman Darren Raddysh, who missed Tuesday’s 5-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to family reasons, came back and even had a four-minute-long shift on Thursday. So, the Lightning’s overall performance was a big step up. Hopefully, it will last for longer than just one occasion.
Looking ahead, the Bolts have 10 more games in March and eight in April before the season wraps up. It’s crucial to push forward. Unfortunately, the shaky post-Olympic comeback moved the team from first place in the conference into third. There is still time to regain the lead.
The Lightning will face the first-place Carolina Hurricanes at Benchmark International Arena on Saturday.