The Tampa Bay Lightning fell in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive year. A major factor in their playoff exit was their ineffective power play. What needs to change before the 2025-26 season?
Lightning’s Power Play Needs to Be Re-Evaluated
Throughout the regular season, the Lightning were efficient with a 25.9% success rate, which ranked fifth in the league. Notable players like Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov were big contributors during the regular season and helped make the power play successful. Kucherov had five power-play goals and 32 power-play assists. However, they struggled in the playoffs and couldn’t seem to find the net with the man advantage.
In five games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the Lightning had 18 power plays and only scored twice. One of the main reasons the team struggled in the postseason was that they passed the puck too much in the offensive zone. We have seen it time and time again that when the Lightning pass the puck too much, it leads to turnovers, which is exactly what happened in the playoffs.
Heading into next season, the Lightning need to evaluate how they attack on the power play and make some adjustments. That adjustment is on improving the second power-play unit, which consists of Mitchell Chaffe, Nick Paul, Gage Goncalves, Darren Raddysh, and Lightning veteran Nikita Kucherov. With the Lightning heavily relying on the first power-play unit and depending on particular players to score makes the one-man advantage become too predictable.
Core Players Need to Be More Of a Striking Force In the Playoffs
Veteran players like Victor Hedman and the newly acquired Yanni Gourde need to be visible during the playoffs. Hedman finished the regular season with 15 goals and 66 points, but the Lightning captain was invisible in the playoffs. During Round 1, he totalled three points (all assists). Next season, I’d like to see him take on more of a leadership role, defending his teammates and keeping everyone motivated when they are down in a game.
Going into the upcoming season, I would like to see Gourde maintain his high level of physicality. Gourde signed a six-year, $14 million contract extension with the team in early June. He was a minus-3 in Round 1, averaging 14 minutes of ice time per game.
Having Hedman and Gourde become more apparent while on the power play is essential. Hedman plays on the first power-play unit, where Gourde plays on the second.
For Hedman to improve the team’s power play, I would like to see more shots from him. This strong defenseman is known for his ability to block important shots and set up critical plays while on the advantage. Going forward, he needs to be selfish with the puck. This will allow for more scoring opportunities and limit the opposing team the opportunity to interfere.
In order to improve on the power play, Gourde needs to be efficient in front of the net during the team’s power play opportunities. Gourde is known to show up in critical situations; he is not afraid to be aggressive out in front, and he is known for his ability to create opportunities for his team while on the advantage.
Lightning’s Power-Play Coaching Needs An Upgrade
In order to be successful while on the power play, the Lightning need to re-evaluate how they attack it. One way to do that is to make a change to the coaching staff. A great option for the Lightning would be adding veteran assistant coach Glen Gulutzan, focusing on the power play. He has most recently worked with the Edmonton Oilers and was responsible for the team’s power play. Adding him to the Lightning would allow both of the power-play units to become efficient and well-managed, especially with puck control while in their defensive zone. He has helped the Oilers become successful while on the power play; the Oilers’ power-play percentage was 23.7% during the 2024-25 season. Adding an assistant coach who specializes in the power play would be beneficial for the Lightning as the team needs to work on their puck control, create effective zone entries, and make good decisions while in front of the net.
While the Lightning enjoyed success in the regular season, they struggled once the postseason began. The team must adjust to prepare for the upcoming season, particularly in their power-play strategy, and reform their second power-play unit.
