The Tampa Bay Lightning got off to a rough start this season, but they’ve turned things around quickly.
They began a three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over Utah on Sunday to push their winning streak to five. The Lightning go for their sixth in a row Tuesday night at the Western Conference-leading Colorado Avalanche.
The Lightning were 1-4-2 out of the gate after losing at home to the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 23. Since then, they have outscored opponents 17-9 over the last five. After starting out losing five of six one-goal games, Tampa Bay has won its last three.
The Lightning also are getting balanced scoring, led by Jake Guentzel’s 12 points (five goals, seven assists). Anthony Cirelli leads the team with seven goals and Nikita Kucherov (four goals, six assists) ranks third on the team in scoring despite missing two games. Three more players have at least eight points through 12 games.
Head coach Jon Cooper likes the way his team is performing and doesn’t want to see any let-up.
“Don’t change the way we’re playing,” Cooper said when asked how to keep the winning streak going. “This is a grind because we have a really high-level Colorado team and then we’ve got to go in and play Vegas, so we just can’t take our foot off the gas. We had a slow start to the season and kind of fought our way back here, but it’s a long way to go.”
Colorado’s longest winning streak is three games and has lost four of its last six, yet the Avalanche lead the Western Conference with 19 points. They have accrued so many points because only one of their six losses has come in regulation.
They are 0-3 in overtime and have dropped both shootouts they’ve been in. The five losses beyond regulation are the most in the league, but they have been able to make those setbacks productive.
The overtime losses have come with their top three scorers on the ice — Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas — including Saturday’s 3-2 setback in San Jose.
“I don’t know what it is,” said Makar, who has four goals and 14 assists. “Seems like when the three of us are on the ice right now, it’s always in the back of our net. It’s going to figure itself out but, man, it’s hard to lose every single game like that in overtime, especially when you’re right there and feel like you have a chance.”
MacKinnon leads the team in points (19) and goals (10) and Necas stands third with nine goals and eight assists. Necas got two of those goals in the first minute of the last two games.
The Sharks loss served as top goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood’s season debut. He made 20 saves after missing the first 12 games working his way back from offseason surgery. Reserve netminder Scott Wedgewood (2.53 goals-against average in 11 games) has played well in Blackwood’s absence as Colorado sits fourth in the NHL with a 2.54 GAA.
