What a difference a week makes. After losing four straight, the Tampa Bay Lightning have now won three straight games after defeating the New York Islanders 5-0 on Saturday night (April 1). Previously, the Lightning downed the Washington Capitals on Thursday (March 30) and the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday (March 28). With the win over the Islanders, the Lightning have earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season.
The victory also ensured a first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom the Lightning defeated in seven games last season. Qualifying for the playoffs gives them a chance to do what few teams in the NHL have ever done, appear in the Stanley Cup Final four years in a row. “You have no chance to win the Stanley Cup unless you make the playoffs,” coach Jon Cooper said after the victory over the Islanders. “When you talk about winning Cups, we don’t even talk about that. It’s about getting in the playoffs, and then you can start putting your focus there.”
Stock Up: Darren Raddysh
After having his first NHL point taken away on Thursday night, the 27-year-old picked up two assists on Saturday night to finally get his first career points. In addition, Darren Raddysh and his usual defense partner, Mikhail Sergachev, have played very well together, which has impressed Cooper. “Those two have been a pretty formidable pair, and they’ve been playing both ends of the rink, as both offense and defense have been outstanding.”
Stock Up: Alex Killorn
On Saturday, the 33-year-old played in his 800th career game, all of them as a member of the Lightning. One of the more underrated players in the NHL, Alex Killorn has tallied 460 points in his 11 seasons in Tampa Bay. His relationship with Cooper goes back even longer, as Killorn joined Cooper in the 2011-12 season as a member of the Lightning’s then- American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Norfolk. He was a third-round draft pick of the Lightning in 2007 and is one of the prime examples of the franchise’s success in developing mid-level draft talent.
Throughout his tenure with the Lightning, Killorn has remained a solid contributor. The former Harvard Crimson standout had an assist on a power play goal Saturday, which matched his career-best point total at 59, which he set last season. He also stretched his recent point streak to four games by contributing two goals and three assists. Because of the long-term success of the Lightning and Killorn, he has played in more NHL games in the last ten years, including regular season and playoffs, than any other current player.
Stock Up: Mikhail Sergachev
Before leaving with an injury on Saturday, Sergachev had a goal and an assist, giving him 59 points on the season. Since March 1, his 17 assists are tied with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for the second-most among all NHL defensemen. He has also begun to limit mistakes in the defensive zone. Now all the Lightning have to do is hope his injury is not too serious.
Stock Up: Andrei Vasilevksiy
Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up just one goal in the past three games, with two shutouts and a .990 save percentage. “With Vas, he’s human. I mean, he’s superhuman, but he’s still human,” Cooper said after Saturday’s game. “The chances we’ve given up on rushes and things like that when you start cutting those out, Vas usually takes care of the rest.” The Lightning and Vasilevskiy have been doing that very well in the past few games.
In picking up his second straight shutout and only allowing one goal in the other contest, the former Vezina Trophy winner has amassed 100 saves during those games. While that sounds like a lot, most of those shots have not been great chances for the opponents. It is no wonder that in a recent poll, 52.3 percent of the 626 NHL players surveyed picked Vasilevskiy as the goaltender they would most want on their team if they needed to win one game.
Stock Up: Pat Maroon
The 34-year-old had two third-period goals to help lead the Lightning past the Capitals on Thursday. Patrick Maroon, who had only three goals all season heading into the game, demonstrated the gritty play that all of the Lightning had demonstrated in the last week. Both came off of rebounds as Maroon won physical battles in front of the net to put himself in a position to make the plays that led to his goals.
Related: 4 Keys to the Lightning Winning the 2023 Stanley Cup
After a rough March schedule, the Lightning get a welcomed three-day break before heading out on their final road trip of the season. It starts with back-to-back contests against the New York Rangers on Wednesday (April 5) and the New York Islanders on Thursday (April 6). The road trip concludes on Saturday (April 8) as the Lightning visit the Ottawa Senators.
