With a tight playoff race in the Atlantic Division, regular season games have already started to hold great weight in early February. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in contention for the playoffs alongside divisional rivals like the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, and Montreal Canadiens. With roughly 25 games remaining in the regular season, every point earned in the standings is critical.
While the Lightning had an underwhelming month of January, the team has turned things around at the right time. Over the past two weeks before the 4 Nations Face-Off event, they had four in-division games against teams competing for a playoff spot. They kicked off their four-game win streak with back-to-back home-ice victories over the Senators. Then, the Bolts followed that up with two road wins in Detroit and Montreal over the weekend.
With Tampa Bay playing some of the best hockey we’ve seen all season, who has stood out the most? Here’s the Lightning’s three stars throughout their four-game win streak before the break.
First Star: Brandon Hagel
Acquired via trade by Tampa Bay, Brandon Hagel nearly quit hockey at the age of 20. However, he’s now representing his home country at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. He made his final two weeks with the Lightning count to showcase the level of play he can bring to Canada on the national stage.
Hagel notched four goals and eight points in the four-game win streak, including six five-on-five points. Furthermore, he ranked first on the Lightning in shot attempts and second in blocked shots. He wasn’t on the ice for a goal against at five-on-five either, outscoring his opponents 6-0 in the four-game span. He was also voted the NHL’s First Star of the Week, and continues to gain more public recognition for his strong efforts.
Second Star: Ryan McDonagh
Bringing back veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh has done wonders for the Tampa Bay blue line, especially Erik Cernak. The two reunited and revitalized Cernak’s career while creating an elite shutdown pairing. Despite being 35 years old, McDonagh continues to age like fine wine and provide some of the league’s most impactful results on the defensive side of the puck.
McDonagh contributed at both ends of the ice during the win streak. He recorded a goal and four points in four games, a point-per-game performance. Moreover, he led the team in takeaways with four. McDonagh also didn’t allow a five-on-five goal like Hagel and outscored his opponents 8-0 when on the ice. He ranked first on the roster in on-ice expected goal share (xGF%), controlling 61.12% of the expected goals at five-on-five via Natural Stat Trick.
Third Star: Nikita Kucherov
Last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov picked up right where he left off since the puck dropped in October. He ranks third in the NHL in points with 82 while playing fewer games than the two players in front of him. Kucherov continues to be one of the league’s most dominant offensive threats and most valuable players.
Despite missing a game during the win streak, Kucherov still potted a goal and five assists for six points, with 80% of those assists being primary. Furthermore, he ranked second on the team in expected goals percentage at 59.97% during his time on the ice. Even with a few minor injuries this season, he has a chance at being the NHL’s leading scorer again.
Closing Thoughts
The Lightning will return to action on Feb. 23 against the Seattle Kraken. Until then, enjoy watching some of the Lightning’s stars represent their countries at the 4 Nations Face-Off event. That includes Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Hagel for Canada, Victor Hedman for Sweden, and Jake Guentzel for USA.
