The Tampa Bay Lightning were coming off a poor stretch entering last week, but they finally got back on track. In this week-ahead piece, we’ll revisit their strong play, the stars who shone, and the schedule that awaits them.
Lightning Are Back on Track (And What It Means for the Playoffs)
Despite ending the week with a 4–3 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames, the Lightning had an impressive week. During their West Coast road trip, they beat the Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers by a combined score of 17–6.
The Pacific Division has become somewhat of a punchline this season, seeing as the Detroit Red Wings, who are outside the playoff race in the East, have more points than the division-leading Anaheim Ducks.
Still, a 3–0–1 record was much needed. After a disappointing stretch previously, Tampa Bay is back on the right track. While the Buffalo Sabres have a four-point cushion on first place in the Atlantic Division, the gap is narrowing, and second place seems like the worst-case scenario at this point.
Should the Lightning finish in second, they’d have favorable odds to advance in the playoffs. Set to match up against the Montreal Canadiens as of now, Hockey Stats’ prediction model gives Tampa Bay a 68% chance at victory.
Stars Shine for the Lightning
Encouragingly, the Lightning’s stars dazzled last week. Nikita Kucherov put up six goals and seven assists across the four games, further establishing his case for the Hart Trophy.
Related: Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Should Be the Hart Trophy Frontrunner
This season, Kucherov is up to 40 goals and 79 assists for a league-leading 119 points in 65 games. Even though he has missed time, the 32-year-old superstar is on pace for about 94 assists, a mark that has only been reached 20 times in league history.
With just one more assist, Kucherov can achieve truly legendary status. He’d be the fourth player in history with five or more 80-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr. Additionally, he’d join Gretzky as the only other player with four consecutive seasons with at least 80 assists.
Linemates Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel each put up eight points on the week. They will be key for the Lightning if they want to go on a deep run in the playoffs.
Finally, Andrei Vasilevskiy started and won three games, putting up a .908 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average. He sacrificed no more than two goals in a single contest.
Lightning Schedule March 23–29
| Date | Time (EDT) | Opponent (Record) | Location |
| Tuesday, March 24 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Minnesota Wild (40–19–12) | Benchmark International Arena |
| Thursday, March 26 | 7 p.m. | vs. Seattle Kraken (31–29–9) | Benchmark International Arena |
| Saturday, March 28 | 1 p.m. | vs. Ottawa Senators (36–24–9) | Benchmark International Arena |
| Sunday, March 29 | 5 p.m. | vs. Nashville Predators (33–28–9) | Benchmark International Arena |
