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Meeting Marty

November 16, 2014, 10:58 PM ET [117 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
After beating the New York Islanders on Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in the Empire State on Monday for a date with the Rangers.

Unlike past games between these two clubs, Monday’s holds a special significance. It marks the first time that the Lightning will see Marty St. Louis since he was dealt last spring. It also means that Ryan Callahan, Anton Stralman, and Brian Boyle will be facing their former club for the first time. You can bet that there will be a little bit of extra emotion at Madison Square Garden when the puck drops.

Fresh off a run that saw them make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Rangers have started the 2014-15 campaign in a very underwhelming way. With a 7-6-4 record through 17 games this year, they are barely clinging to the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.

Uncharacteristically average goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist helps to explain that fall, but so does the fact that New York lost a number of possession drivers in the offseason. Coming off a deep run into the spring with a weaker roster probably isn’t the best recipe for success. Even so, Alain Vigneault has managed to keep his team’s head above water.

One player who hasn’t struggled to start the season for New York is Rick Nash. The former Columbus Blue Jacket has been en fuego, as evidenced by his 12 goals in 17 games. He’s off to one of the hottest starts in his career, and doesn’t look to be slowing down. His unique combination of size and skill will be something for the Lightning’s defense to watch.

While Nash may be New York’s most potent offensive threat, the man of the hour on Monday will almost certainly be Marty St. Louis. Since leaving Tampa on sour terms last season, St. Louis has been decent enough in New York. He scored one goal and eight points in 19 games with them to end last season, and has added six goals and 13 points in 17 games this year. Interestingly enough, the player for whom he was traded also has six goals and seven assists this season; Ryan Callahan is playing at a point-per-game pace through 13 matches. Regardless of how you feel about the trade, it's clear that both teams and fan bases are generally happy with the way things turned out.

Because they were traveling, Callahan and his Lightning teammates did not practice on Sunday. As a result, it’s difficult to predict what head coach Jon Cooper might do with his lineup at this time. With that said, it’s probably not unreasonable to suggest that he’ll stick with what worked against the New York Islanders.

Does that mean that Jonathan Drouin will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game? If not, who comes out? The obvious candidates, Vlad Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette, were both involved in the offence against the Islanders. Cooper has a difficult decision ahead of him.

As mentioned, and in addition to Callahan and St. Louis, this could be an emotional game for Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman. Since joining the Lightning as free agents over the summer, both have been good. Boyle has been an upgrade on Nate Thompson, bringing a little more offence and more defined defensive abilities. Stralman, for his part, has been every bit as good as Lightning fans expected. He leads the Lightning’s blue line in the possession department, and has complemented that with two goals and eight assists. He has stepped up in a noticeable and vital way since Victor Hedman went down with an injury.

Both Stralman and Boyle will have to be excellent on Monday night if the Lightning are going to secure a victory and two points in the standings. With the Montreal Canadiens on a lengthy winning streak, the Bolts need to keep pace. That means playing smart against a very talented New York team. Don’t let the Rangers’s record fool you; this is a group that can beat any team in the league on any given night. The Bolts best be ready.

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.
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