The Tampa Bay Lightning should be chomping at the bit to get the 2021-2022 season underway. Coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, the Lightning are looking to make it three in a row, accomplishing a feat that hasn’t been done in the NHL since the 1980s. Although most hockey fans don’t appreciate seeing one team dominate year after year, when the opportunity for three in a row presents itself you can’t help but hope to see some history come early next year.
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Offense
This high-flying offense in Tampa Bay has put the league on notice and laid the blueprint for what it means to be a cohesive unit on the ice. Brayden Point leads the charge in offensive production for the team, scoring 48 points in last season’s outing consisting of 23 goals and 25 assists in 56 regular-season appearances. Averaging a point per game in the playoffs during 2021, he solidified his spot in this roster’s top line and will shift attention towards him to open up more space for teammates. Look for a productive year from linemates Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov as Point becomes a larger part of the opponent’s defensive focus.
Defense
With well-known names in Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta returning to the team this year another solid season from the blue line will be expected from Lighting faithful. Hedman posted 45 points in 54 games played in last year’s regular season adding some offensive flair to a stout defensive depth chart. If players like Cal Foote and Erik Cernak can move into a more assertive role on this defense, plays may open up on the offensive end for Tampa Bay.
In Net
If you are a fan of hockey, you know what it means to come into a game with Andrei Vasilevskiy in the net on the other end of the ice. You are probably going to lose. In three years Vasilevskiy has put up some very impressive numbers, with hardware to show. Vasilevskiy was the NHL’s wins leader in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. He won the Vezina as the league’s top goaltender in the 2018-2019 season and was the backbone of two Stanley Cup-winning teams on his way to taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2021 playoffs.
Key Players
It is seeming to be an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach from the front office in Tampa Bay, as a majority of players return for another run at the title, key players on this year’s roster will be familiar guys. Although the front office parted with players like Blake Coleman and Yanni Gourde who served strong roles in this Lightning lineup, the remaining pillars of this roster will have to step up to make filling the gaps an easier task for fill-in players throughout this season.
Kucherov is a name that sends chills down the spine of opposing defenders and if he is able to maintain the level of production he has asserted thus far, Tampa Bay will be in prime position for another deep playoff push. His production has proven to be a thorn in the side of the opponents and a full season from him is needed to keep the Tampa Bay momentum churning.
Coming into his fifth season, the 24-year-old center is another player watch this year, if he is able to improve his scoring by five goals and between five and 10 more assists, pressure can be taken off the top-line forwards and unlock the full potential of this offense.
The great wall of Florida is our final key player in this Tampa Bay lineup. His health is an important factor in the success of this Lightning team, if he can start 60 or more games this season and play well in them, Tampa Bay could be holding on to Lord Stanley’s Cup for yet another year.
Biggest Question Facing the Tampa Bay Lightning
Can this team three-peat? Winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships is something to admire, but the Lighting aren’t looking to stop there. With a victory in this year’s playoff tournament, Tampa Bay would become the first team to win back-to-back-to-back Stanley cups since the Islanders of the 1980s who won four Stanley Cup championships in a row. If Tampa Bay can pull off this tremendous feat they will undoubtedly be known in the history books as the first of the NHL’s dynasties in the 2020s.
Seasonal Forecast
With a new season on the horizon, the Lighting have the second-best odds to win the Stanley Cup behind the Colorado Avalanche, but the boys in blue, like most franchises in the NHL, don’t concern themselves with odds. The NHL season gives plenty of time for any team to put themselves in position for a run, much less the back-to-back champions. Tampa Bay is expected to finish at the top of their division and if the top lines that include Point, Kucherov, Palat, and others can remain productive with a healthy netminder in Vasilevskiy this Lighting squad appears a serious threat to win three in a row.
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