Fresh off a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in Edmonton for a tilt with the Oilers tomorrow night.
In advance of the game, the Bolts announced today that they have recalled forward Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Luke Witkowski from the Syracuse Crunch.
The latter was brought up to ‘replace’ the spot previously held by Victor Hedman, who was sent home to Tampa after being injured midway through the Vancouver game. The initial reports don’t sound good, as many are speculating that he could be dealing with a broken bone in his hand. His absence, which could last four weeks according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, will hurt the Lightning immensely:
On a regular occasion, the recall of Witkowski would generate more discussion that it has. The reason for that is Jonathan Drouin’s pending arrival. After fracturing his thumb during training camp, 2013’s third overall pick was sent to the Crunch for a conditioning assignment. It only lasted two games, simply because he looked so impressive.
The team hasn’t confirmed whether or not Drouin will make his NHL debut tomorrow, though Sportsnet’s Gene Principe seems to think he’ll be in the lineup:
If Drouin is going to suit up, it means somebody will have to come out. Given that Cooper’s lines have remained fairly set through the first handful of games this year, it’s tough to predict who will be in charge of popcorn quality control at Rexall Place on Monday night.
On defense, it’s a little bit easier to put the pieces together. With both Hedman and Radko Gudas injured, the Bolts practiced with these pairings on Sunday:
Matt Carle-Anton Stralman
Jason Garrison-Andrej Sustr
Eric Brewer-Mark Barberio
If Cooper stays with a 12/6 setup, it’s hard to imagine that Witkowski will find himself in the lineup. The fact that Gudas is reportedly close to returning doesn’t work in his favor either.
Regardless of who dresses and who sits, the Lightning have an opponent to worry about. While the Oilers have yet to win this year, they look to be trending in the right direction. Their last game, which took place on Friday against Vancouver, was a big step forward. Looking at a team that boasts a talent like Taylor Hall as a ‘walkover’ would be mistake number one for Tampa Bay.
Further, it's worth noting that the Oilers have been a very good possession team through five games in 2014-15. Their Corsi percentage of 53.3% is only 0.6% less than the Lightning's own, as per the Puckalytics database. The sample size is small, but it's a positive sign. The fact of the matter is that Ben Scrivens isn't going to drag around a sub-850 save percentage forever.
What's the bottom line? Playing like they did on Saturday in Vancouver would be bad news for the Lightning. Focus and improvement is a must. If you’re looking for evidence as to why the Bolts can’t take the Oilers lightly, look no further than their performance in Edmonton last year. They laid an egg and lost. It wasn’t pretty. Any team can win on any given night in the NHL.
With the Montreal Canadiens already sitting atop the league standings with a 5-1-0 record, it’s imperative that the Lightning keep pace with wins of their own. I don’t think it’s wrong to suggest that the Bolts
should beat the Oilers. Still, nothing is guaranteed in this world. It’s going to take a good effort to grab a win in the City of Champions.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter. 
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»