The biggest Lightning question on the board this morning is simple: has Connor Bedard finally reached the point where he can return?
Bedard still hasn’t played for the Chicago Blackhawks this season after dealing with an upper-body injury, but the signs are pointing toward a possible comeback tonight against Pittsburgh. Bedard and his coach have both been guarded about his status, though practice participation suggests he may be awaiting final medical clearance.
Elsewhere in the division, the Atlantic is already starting to sort itself out in a way that should have Tampa Bay paying attention. Ottawa, easy to overlook because of the injuries on the blue line, keeps banking points anyway.
Montreal and Buffalo, meanwhile, have stumbled a bit out of the gate. Whether those trends stick is one of the early-season questions hanging over the division.
For Tampa Bay, the recent stretch has been more about consistency. Coach Jon Cooper has kept Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel together on the second line through all five games, and the group has delivered steady results. Still, Cooper reportedly wants that trio to attack a little more aggressively and get more pucks on goal.
The Lightning are also coming off a productive week, with three wins on the board. Justin and Jason talked through that run and looked ahead to the upcoming games in New York and against Seattle.
There was movement elsewhere around the league, too. Pittsburgh and Buffalo completed a trade involving three defensemen, with the Penguins sending Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to the Sabres for Ryan Johnson.
All three players have been in the AHL this season, so the deal is more about depth and organizational value than immediate NHL impact. Pittsburgh adds a prospect, while Buffalo picks up a little help on the backend while dealing with Rasmus Dahlin’s injury.
The league’s weekly star honors went to Auston Matthews, Jake Oettinger, and Alexis Lafreniere. Matthews put up 9 points, including 3 goals and 6 assists, over three games.
Oettinger went 2-0-1 and stopped 59 of 60 shots. Lafreniere, who the Lightning will see tonight, earned his spot after a week with 5 goals and 2 assists.
And in Philadelphia, the pressure is already building. It’s been a rough start there, and while a firing doesn’t seem imminent just two years into a five-year deal, the noise around his future is getting louder. He’s got support from players, but he’s going to need wins to back it up.
In Other News...
Lightnings Rangers Problem Showed Up Again In Another Frustrating Loss
The Lightning ran into the same New York trouble again, leaving Madison Square Garden with a 4-1 loss that felt familiar in all the wrong ways. Tampa Bay never found much traction against the Rangers, who got a pair of goals from Alexis Lafreniere and enough work in net from Dylan Garand to keep the game under control from start to finish.
Zemgus Girgensons provided Tampa Bays only goal, while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots in the defeat. For a team that wanted a cleaner response in a matchup that has often been annoying, the result was another reminder that the Rangers continue to be a problem the Lightning have not solved. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Got Handled By A Rangers Team They Should've Tested More
Tampa Bay walked into a game against a Rangers team that had already lost its No. 1 goalie and still never really made the kind of sustained push youd expect from a contender. New York stayed organized defensively from start to finish, and Alexis Lafreniere set the tone with a pair of goals, including his sixth of the season, as the Lightning spent much of the night chasing rather than dictating.
The Rangers still had to navigate a significant wrinkle after Igor Shesterkin went down, and the job in relief fell to Dylan Garand, who stopped 25 shots to keep Tampa Bay from finding a way back in. Mika Zibanejad tacked on the empty-netter to finish off a 4-1 result, leaving the Lightning with another reminder that even against a compromised opponent, theres no shortcut when the other team is playing with confidence and structure. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Forward Battle Just Got More Crowded Again
The Lightnings forward picture tightened again with Dominic James back in the fold after a short stop in Syracuse. James, who spent most of his rookie season in Tampa Bay and produced 15 points in 43 NHL games, had been working his way back after a hand injury, and his return adds another familiar name to a competition that has already been difficult to sort out.
Now James is back in the mix for one of the open lineup spots, where he figures to be judged alongside Conor Geekie and Jeffrey Viel as the roster picture keeps shifting. Scott Sabourin is also part of that extra-forward group, which means Tampa Bay has a crowded battle on its hands and another decision to make as it tries to settle the bottom of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]