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It’s only the preseason, yeah, but the pure skill of a Tampa Bay Lightning makeshift top line featuring Jonathan Drouin and Nikita Kucherov on either side of Steven Stamkos for tonight’s preseason tilt against the Florida Panthers should be enough to make your mouth water.
It was a trio that skated together for just over four minutes and change last year, but one that could be a formidable three-man unit for the Bolts if head coach Jon Cooper does indeed break up the Triplets.
For the Bolts, a Drouin-Stamkos one-two seems obvious. Much like the Marty St. Louis and Stamkos combo of a few years back, it’s a twosome that could simply dominate if the chemistry develops, and thus allow the aforementioned Triplets Line to feast on weaker competition or vice-versa.
“We do want to see them together, and see if some chemistry starts coming together, and this is the time to do that,… Cooper said of the Drouin-Stamkos combo. “It's their second game together. We hope that a little bit more chemistry comes about with these two, because they're both great talents. You saw a little bit of it the other night, hopefully you see more tonight.…
Held without a point in six postseason contests last year, Drouin’s usage by Cooper has always been in question, and the former third-overall pick is clearly deserving of a legitimate top-six chance after a four-goal, 32-point rookie year spent averaging 13:14 per game, 33rd among rookie forwards.
Tonight’s game will also mark the preseason debut of Ben Bishop.
It will be Bishop’s first start since the torn groin muscle suffered in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com