Here are three reasons to like the Lightning’s new-look power play. Thursday’s moves were transformative, because the personnel and positional changes made it difficult to tell which was the top unit and which was the second. Point men Victor Hedman and Darren Raddysh switched units, with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel matched with Raddysh.
The Lightning right wing scores a highlight-reel goal and becomes the second player in team history to claim 600 assists.
Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov joined teammate Victor Hedman in an exclusive club during Saturday's win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Nikita Kucherov scored 58 seconds into overtime and had two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3
If proximity leads to familiarity, the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning should be getting to know each other pretty well. They will meet for the second time in five days on Tuesday night, this time in Florida to cap their season series.
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tallied a goal and two assists during their overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday evening. Kucherov tallied the primary assist on Mitchell Chaffee's power-play strike in the opening frame.
Hedman sent a backhand shot toward the net, and Paul redirected the puck past Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom to make it 3-2 with 7.9 seconds left in the period. “It definitely helped our demeanor, gave us a little bit of life coming back in here,” Bolts defenseman Ryan McDonagh said of Paul's goal.
Jake Evans scores with 2:15 remaining as the Canadiens close the gap between the teams in the Atlantic Division.
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks enter the matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning as losers of three games in a row. Tampa Bay has a 26-19-3 record overall and a 15-6-1 record in home games. The Lightning have allowed 135 goals while scoring 170 for a +35 scoring differential.
Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and then offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.
The general manager says the team’s play has been deserving of more wins, but a friendlier schedule should lead to more points.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in this NHL matchup at Scotiabank Arena on Monday, January 20th. WATCH: Lightning vs Maple Leafs Live