TAMPA, FL. – As the NHL embarks on its final month of the regular season, the Lightning seemed to have righted themselves following a rough stretch while they were on the road for 10 of 11 games.
Following Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime win against Carolina at Amalie Arena, coach Jon Cooper cited the team’s defensive play as the leading ingredient behind a current three-game win streak.
The Lightning will attempt to add to the streak when they host a pair of Original Six teams this weekend. The Blackhawks are on tap Friday night followed by a Saturday evening visit from the Canadiens, who will have a familiar face behind the bench.
Powering up: After failing to score on the man advantage in seven of nine games, the Lightning have connected six times in the past three games. In the victory against Carolina, the Lightning had more power-play goals (3) than times they were shorthanded (2).
The three power-play goals equaled their season-high, established on three previous occasions.
The power-play truly has made a difference. Prior to their three-game win streak, the Lightning went 3-6-0 in the aforementioned nine-game stretch and scored all of three goals with the man advantage. That included failing to record a PPG during their four-game swing through western Canada, on which they went 1-3-0.
“It’s just a little more confidence,” said Steven Stamkos, whose power-play goal 52 seconds into overtime was the difference against the Hurricanes, which marked the second time in three games Tampa Bay won in the extra session with a four-on-three. “We talked about that when we were going through that little rough patch, where confidence is a real thing. It is something that when we gain some (confidence), we start making some plays that we are accustomed to making.”
Passing St. Louis: The game-winning goal Tuesday night was the 11th overtime tally of Stamkos’ career, passing Martin St. Louis – more on him below — for the top spot in Lightning history. It was also Stamkos’ 30th goal of the season, marking the seventh time the captain has reached the 30-goal plateau. That also pushed him past his former teammate for the most such seasons in Lightning history.
One more goal: Victor Hedman’s second-period goal against Carolina increased his career-best total to 19. It also brought him within one of Dan Boyle’s team record for most goals in a season by a defenseman. Boyle scored 20 in 2006-07, which was his career-high. Hedman has eight goals in his last 12 games.
“Killer” consistency: In last Sunday’s win on Long Island, Alex Killorn recorded his career-high 50th point of the season. The 32-year-old forward, who has goals in each of his last two games and three of the last five, has 21 goals on the season.
His career-high in that category is 26, established in 68 games during virus-shortened 2019-20. Underscoring how consistent Killorn has been through his career with the Lightning is that he has scored at least 15 goals in eight of his nine full seasons with the club. The exception was 2015-16 when he had 14 goals.
St. Louis’ return: Martin St. Louis will be behind the Canadiens’ bench on Saturday night. The hall of famer and member of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup team was named Montreal’s interim head coach on February 9. Since St. Louis took over, the Habs have a .545 points percentage in 22 games. They had a .256 points percentage in 45 games under Dominique Ducharme.
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