No one is talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning. Or at least it seems that way.
The NHL’s second-best team has somehow flown under the radar despite recently reeling off a 15-game point streak (14-0-1). The Lightning, however, will be in the spotlight Sunday when they host the Boston Bruins in the outdoors at Raymond James Stadium (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT).
As usual, Tampa Bay is an offensive powerhouse, led once again by the wizardly Nikita Kucherov, who finished January with an astounding 31 points in 13 games. Kucherov is now one of eight players in league history to record 30-plus points in a calendar month at least three times.
But the story of the Lightning’s season has been their significant improvement on defence, which they have accomplished despite missing leaders Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh for long stretches. Hedman, who underwent elbow surgery in December, has missed all but 18 games this season, though he could return Sunday. McDonagh suited up Thursday after being sidelined for 33 of Tampa Bay’s previous 36 games.
Even without Hedman and McDonagh, who have combined to play more than 2,100 NHL games, Tampa Bay is the league’s No. 1 defensive team based on expected goals (shot quality) against per game. The Lightning have cut down on the number of shots on net they have allowed from the slot and tightened up defensively off the rush to a notable degree.
The absences of Hedman, McDonagh and fellow veteran Erik Cernak (19 missed games) forced Lightning coach Jon Cooper to lean on the pairing of J.J. Moser and Darren Raddysh. Moser entered this season with some experience playing big minutes, averaging 20:49 per game over two seasons with the Arizona Coyotes from 2022-24. But Raddysh averaged just 17:55 of ice time across his first four seasons in Tampa Bay.
Raddysh’s ice time this season, however, has ballooned to 22:23 per game. He and Moser have been downright dominant during their minutes at five-on-five. The Lightning have outscored opponents 30-9 and generated 65.4 per cent of the expected goals in 526:48. Only two of the 230 other defence pairs that have played at least 100 minutes at five-on-five — Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield, as well as the Hurricanes’ Mike Reilly and Alexander Nikishin — have a higher XGF percentage.
“(Moser and Raddysh) have proven that they can play against (top competition),” Lightning assistant coach Rob Zettler told the Tampa Bay Times. “So instead of (McDonagh) or (Hedman) playing 24, 25 minutes (per game), they don’t have to play those minutes. Now we feel good about bringing those minutes down, and now everybody’s got energy.”
Tampa Bay has also received contributions from 27-year-old defenceman Charle-Edouard D'Astous, who made his NHL debut this season. D’Astous’ 81.4 per cent completion rate on outlet passes leads all 186 defencemen who have played at least 500 minutes, and his 10.2 per cent turnover rate is second behind only Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes.
When the Lightning defence has a rare breakdown, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been there to clean up the mess. Vasilevskiy is in the midst of a 14-game unbeaten streak (13-0-1), tied for the second longest of his highly decorated career. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of those starts, saving 16 goals above expected during his point streak.
For the season, Vasilevskiy ranks third in both total goals saved above expected (30.4) and quality-start rate (82.4 per cent). He has saved more goals than expected in 28 of his 34 starts.
“He’s been the backbone for this team,” Raddysh, who had 18 points in 13 January games, told reporters. “He does it all. … Having him back there gives us a lot of confidence to be aggressive and try and play the way we want to play.”
There will come a day when the Lightning are no longer considered perennial Stanley Cup contenders, but it does not appear to be coming this season.
“Our success stems from our commitment to being a really good defensive team,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois told reporters earlier this month. “Going back to last season, I think our group has re-established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the league, and that's why we've had success, and that's why I have reason to believe we're going to continue to have success.”
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