The Tampa Bay Lightning knew what they were getting when they targeted Yanni Gourde at the trade deadline. Sure, it was a slightly older version of the player that ran amuck during his first stint as a member of the team, but they knew he would be in front of the net, in the middle of scrums, and generally making life difficult for opposing teams. So far that has been the case. As for the other component of the deal, Oliver Bjorkstrand, that was more of an unknown.
Sure, they had seen first-hand what he could do against them:
The question was, what could he do FOR them.
As of right now, it’s still a bit of a mystery. Yes, we realize that five games is not enough of a barometer to make a full judgement of a player. After all, two players that the Lightning were lauded for picking up prior to their Stanley Cup run, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman, contributed a whopping one point combined in their first nine games with the Bolts. Bjorkstrand and the Bolts have another 15 games or so to figure things out before the real season start.
To his credit, Bjorkstrand already has a leg up on his deadline brethren as he nabbed the game-winner in his Tampa Bay Lightning debut:
It wasn’t that much different than the playoff goal with Columbus highlighted above. He put himself in a spot where he could read the play before swooping in and knocking a loose puck over the line. Those are the instincts of a goal-scorer.
So far, that has been the lone point he scored during his five-game stint with the Bolts. From the eye test he looks like a player trying to find his role on the team. That’s not unusual for someone acquired at the deadline, and it’s something that we’ve seen with the Lightning in the past. It does take a few weeks to get acclimated with the way the team goes about doing their hockey business.
For the majority of his time in Tampa, Bjorkstrand has played on the third line with Gage Goncalves and Yanni Gourde. Again, not a bad idea in concept as it gives him the familiarity of playing with his recent teammate in Gourde as he eases his way into the system. The results, well, they weren’t great as the line hasn’t contributed a goal and has posted an expected goals of 25.77%.
After a brief dalliance with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel in Nikita Kucherov’s absence, Bjorkstrand has seemingly settled back into a third line role with Goncalves, but with a different player between them – Nick Paul. The trio played just over three minutes together against Philadelphia with ho-hum results, but really clicked in their 8:24 together against the Bruins. While they were on the ice the Lightning won the shot attempts battle (9-2), scoring chance battle (5-2), and of utmost importance, the goal battle as the Bolts recorded two tallies.
If they can keep that kind of production going, it finally gives the Lightning that third scoring option they’ve been looking for this season. Yanni Gourde – first-line winger – isn’t exactly what they were thinking when they made the deal, but who knows, maybe that’s the way it plays out. That’s why Stanley Cups are decided by actual games and not fancy stats. You never know what the chemistry will be among the players on the ice.
Based on a pure vibes feel, though. That combination seems right. Nick Paul is more comfortable at center, Goncalves is going to set his teammates up while Bjorkstrand can focus on what he does the best, getting the puck into the zone and shooting it when he has a chance.
Getting back to Bjorkstrand, one thing that has been noticible during his time on his is that he has a really nice, quick shot. The only issue is that he hasn’t deployed it enough during his brief stay in the 813. In his five games with the Bolts he has six shots off of 12 shot attempts. Only one has been blocked, which speaks to how quickly he gets his shot off, but the rate he is shooting at is well below his career average.
With familiarity comes comfort, so as he adjusts to his new teammates there is a good chance that we see him shoot more. Goncalves could be the key to helping him do that. In the rookie’s brief career he has shown a tendency to defer to his teammates, and he does have the ability to set them up with some slick little passes. As he continues to adjust to the speed of the NHL game, that talent will only get better.
Bjorkstrand has also spent some time on the top power play unit over the last few games. Having Kucherov and Victor Hedman dishing him pucks in the left circle should lead him to firing the puck off a little more. That being said, he probably won’t have the volume of shots on the power play that he did in Seattle or Columbus, simply because of the number of options the Bolts have on that unit. However, his presence at the left circle, much like when Steven Stamkos set up there, does widen the defense as they have to respect his shot. That leaves holes in the middle of the ice, which we saw against Boston, for Point and Guentzel to do their stuff.
While he hasn’t gone on a scoring bonanza just yet, it does appear that picking up Oliver Bjorkstrand at the deadline was a move that made this team better. Cost of the acquisition aside, he fills the need they had for scoring depth, and once he settles into his role with the Bolts, expect his point totals to start rising.
