The Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t just ride the wave from a strong December - they turned it into a full-on surge through January, proving that even with a brutal travel schedule and a battered blue line, they’re still very much a force in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s start with the basics: 13 games in January, nine of them on the road, and only one regulation loss. That’s not just surviving the grind - that’s thriving in it.
Tampa Bay didn’t just keep pace in the Atlantic Division race; they flipped the script. Entering the month two points behind Detroit, the Bolts ended it two points ahead, and they did it while playing four fewer games.
That’s how you make a statement.
But perhaps more importantly, they’ve created real breathing room in the playoff picture. With an 11-point cushion over Columbus - the first team out - the Lightning aren’t mathematically locked in yet, but it would take a serious collapse to miss the cut.
Most projections have them hovering around a 99% chance of making the postseason. Not bad for a team that’s had to mix and match on the back end for much of the year.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Let’s dig into the numbers, because they paint a picture of a team that’s found its identity - and it’s built on defense.
Goals Against per 60 at 5v5:
- October: 2.48 (15th)
- November: 2.25 (11th)
- December: 1.95 (7th)
- January: 1.60 (2nd)
Expected Goals Against per 60:
- January: 2.10 - best in the league.
Scoring Chances Against per 60:
- January: 21.0 - again, best in the NHL.
High-Danger Chances Against per 60:
- January: 9.42 - you guessed it, league-best.
This is a team that’s clamped down defensively, especially when it matters most. And when you pair that with elite goaltending, you’ve got a winning formula.
Vasilevskiy: Back in Vezina Form
Andrei Vasilevskiy was nothing short of spectacular in January. A 9-0-1 record, .941 save percentage, 1.37 goals-against average, and a whopping 14.26 goals saved above expected.
He allowed just 14 goals in 10 games. That’s elite territory - the kind of performance that can carry a team deep into spring.
Jonas Johansson only got three starts, and while his overall numbers were dragged down by a rough outing against Columbus (second night of a back-to-back, end of a long road trip, short-handed roster - you name it), he still picked up two wins and gave the team a chance to rest Vasilevskiy without falling off a cliff.
Power Play Surge
Tampa’s power play has been a rollercoaster this season, but January was all peaks, no valleys. They led the league with a 35.3% conversion rate, going 12-for-34.
Darren Raddysh chipped in four of those goals - not bad for a guy not typically known as a power-play weapon. But the engine, as always, was Nikita Kucherov.
Kucherov recorded a point on 11 of those 12 power-play goals (2 goals, 9 assists), and the one he didn’t touch? Brayden Point’s tally against Philadelphia - which, as it turned out, was also the last play Point was involved in before suffering a lower-body injury.
Life Without Point
Point’s absence was a test - and the Lightning passed, but not without some turbulence. Before his injury, the Bolts were 5-0 in January, scoring 28 goals (18 at even strength).
Afterward, they went 6-1-1, but the offense dipped a bit - 23 goals total, 13 at 5v5. Losing your top center and a key cog on the top power-play unit will do that.
The ripple effect was real. Anthony Cirelli and Dominic James had to step up in the lineup, and Nick Paul slid back to center. The offense wasn’t quite as fluid, but the defense held strong - just 15 goals allowed in the final eight games of the month - and that was enough to keep the wins coming.
Kucherov’s MVP Push
Even with Point out, Kucherov didn’t miss a beat. The NHL’s First Star of the Month put up a staggering 31 points (9 goals, 22 assists), outpacing Connor McDavid - and McDavid had two more games.
Kucherov was everywhere: power play (11 points), 5v5 (14 points), even tacking on a few with the net empty (3 goals, 1 assist). He’s not just putting up numbers - he’s dictating games.
And he wasn’t alone. Four other Lightning players averaged at least a point per game in January, and the depth scoring is starting to show signs of life.
Yanni Gourde’s line, in particular, has become a factor. Gourde had 2 goals and 6 assists, Zemgus Girgensons added 6 points of his own, and Pontus Holmberg chipped in a pair of goals.
That kind of secondary production is what separates contenders from pretenders.
Second-Period Surge
One of the more encouraging trends? The Lightning got better as games went on.
They gave up 13 goals in the first period all month, but just 7 in the second and 6 in the third. That’s a big shift from previous seasons where the second period was often a trouble spot.
In January, it became a strength - they outscored opponents 22-7 in the middle frame.
They were 2-1-1 when trailing after one and a perfect 5-0-0 when leading after one. That’s the kind of in-game resilience that coaches love and opponents dread.
Navigating the Schedule
The Lightning’s January schedule wasn’t a murderer’s row, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. Most of their games came against Western Conference teams, meaning fewer points gained in the divisional race. Still, they took care of business against teams they should beat - no slip-ups against the Flyers, Blackhawks, or Blues - and picked up wins over teams still scrapping for playoff spots like LA, Columbus, and Utah.
And they did it all while logging serious mileage and dealing with weather-related travel headaches. That’s the kind of grind that can wear teams down. Instead, the Lightning used it to sharpen their edge.
What’s Next?
If December was about getting back in the playoff mix, January was about proving they belong near the top. The Lightning now head into the February break not just as a playoff team, but as a legitimate threat in the East. They’ve got the goaltending, the high-end talent, and - increasingly - the depth to make a serious run.
March will bring the real test, but for now, the Bolts are rolling.