The Tampa Bay Lightning have opened the season with real momentum, and the numbers back it up. After 11 games, they’re 7-3-1, a better start than last year’s 5-4-2 mark through the same point.
The usual names will always drive the spotlight, but this kind of start usually needs more than just the headliners. A few players have been doing useful work without getting the same attention, and three in particular have quietly helped shape the early run.
Pontus Holmberg is one of them. Through 11 games, he’s sitting at just over a half point per game at 0.54, with three goals already and one of those coming as a game-winner.
At 27, he looks like he may be edging into another level. If he kept this pace across 80 games, he’d land on 21 goals and 43 points, which would be a major return from a third-line winger making $1.5 million this season.
Charle-Edouard D'Astous has also put together an encouraging opening stretch. His rookie season last year ended with 29 points in 70 games, a strong line for a defenseman, and he’s picked up where he left off.
In 10 games this season, he has two goals and six points. Keep that pace for 80 games, and he’d be staring at 16 goals and 48 points, production you’d happily take from a middle-six forward - let alone a defenseman.
That kind of jump would also help cushion the loss of the offense Darren Raddysh provided last season. John Carlson figures to handle plenty of that on his own over the course of the year, but if the Lightning can spread it around and get it done by committee, that would be even better.
Then there’s Zemgus Girgensons, whose box score production won’t jump off the page. He has only two points in 11 games, so it’s easy to miss his impact if you stop there. Look a little closer, though, and he’s been doing a lot of the dirty work: nine blocked shots, 31 hits, and three takeaways.
The faceoff numbers make his value even clearer. He’s winning draws at a 57.1% clip, which leads the team among players with more than a one-game sample.
Anthony Cirelli is next at 51%. Given how much the Lightning have struggled in the circle, Girgensons has filled an important gap.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets May Have A Bigger Voronkov Decision Than Fans Realize
Dmitri Voronkovs early season in Columbus has already turned into a topic around the league, and not just because of the Blue Jackets uneven start. The 26-year-old winger brings the kind of size, physical edge and scoring upside that still makes him appealing to teams looking for a bigger forward, even after a rough stretch that has left him as a healthy scratch.
For Tampa Bay, the fit is obvious on paper. Voronkov would give the Lightning another heavy, imposing presence up front, but a move like that would not come cheaply or cleanly, and any serious pursuit would require the kind of salary juggling that can complicate deals this time of year. Whether Columbus actually moves him is still an open question, but the interest around him suggests his situation could become one of the more watched ones in the market. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Return With One Big Lineup Issue Fans Will Be Watching
Five days off is a long time in the middle of an NHL season, and the Lightning will get back to work against Winnipeg with the kind of roster check-in that can quickly shape a night. The break gave Tampa Bay its longest stretch between games outside the All-Star pause, but it also left a couple of familiar forward spots unsettled as the team heads into a tougher rhythm again.
Brandon Hagel is still being evaluated, while Zemgus Girgensons is already unavailable, forcing the Lightning to sort through their forward mix before puck drop. There is some encouraging news in Yanni Gourdes recovery from hip surgery, too, with the veteran centerman practicing in a top-six role as he pushes toward a return sooner than originally expected. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Fans Have Plenty To Watch Before Thursdays Game
Before Thursdays home game, theres already been plenty happening around the Lightning away from the ice. Jon Cooper hosted the ninth Coops Catch for Kids fishing tournament, which raised $500,000 for pediatric cancer research and pushed the events total fundraising past $2 million, a reminder of how deeply the organization has tied itself to community work under his watch.
There is also some injury uncertainty to keep an eye on after the recent road trip, with Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Hedman both leaving with issues, though neither is viewed as a long-term concern. And then theres the bigger on-ice moment waiting in Tampa, where Nikita Kucherov is expected to be honored after becoming the franchises all-time leader in points, giving the crowd something celebratory to watch before the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]