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A win in Colorado tonight and that’s three in a row for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’d be the Bolts’ third three-game win streak of the season (and their first since late November) and would give the Lightning three wins on a four-game swing through Western Canada and into Denver. But most importantly, a win over the Avalanche tonight and the Bolts leapfrog the idle Boston Bruins for fourth place in the Atlantic Division and back into the mix as one of the East’s two wild card clubs.
The latter would be a just reward for a Lightning squad that’s come through much needed ‘character’ wins in their previous two contests. First came a third period comeback that saw the Bolts successfully erase a 2-0 deficit with three goals against the Edmonton Oilers (hey, own-goals are still goals and the Lightning will take ‘em anyway they can at this point). And then came the follow up in Vancouver where Tampa Bay overcame a late game-tying goal from the Canucks’ Bo Harvat only to have Nikita Kucherov come through with a beautiful overtime winner.
Overall, the Bolts have won three of four since the return of Ondrej Palat to the lineup -- Palat himself has one assist and 10 shots on goal in those four games -- and have looked like an entirely more cohesive unit with No. 18, one of their best two-way players on the roster, back in the mix.
Palat is still easing his way back into the fold after missing nearly two months (except for two games in Dec.), but his return and plug-in to Tampa’s top line with Steven Stamkos and Vladislav Namestnikov has restored balance to a Lightning top-nine that’s struggled to find its footing since Day 1.
The Tampa offensive attack will look to gain some confidence against a Colorado team that’s allowed the fourth-most goals in the Western Conference and just nine wins in 21 home contests this year.
In Net: Ben Bishop vs. Semyon Varlamov
Expect Ben Bishop in net for the Bolts tonight. The 29-year-old Bishop stopped 24-of-26 shots against in a Jan. 8 win over the Oilers, and comes into action with seven wins and a .925 save percentage in 15 road games this season. Bishop took the loss in an Oct. meeting with the Avs in spite of a 24-of-26 night, and comes into play with two wins in four career games against Colorado.
Colorado is giving this start to Semyon Varlamov. The Russian netminder got the early hook in his Sunday night start against Chicago after surrendering four goals on 20 shots against. Varlamov comes into this game for his second head-to-head of the year with the Bolts, and straight-up stole the last one behind a 34-of-35 night. That’s been the story for most of his career, too, as Varlamov enters play with eight wins and a .927 save percentage in 12 career games against the Lightning.
Stats of Note
- Stamkos has six goals and eight points in his last nine games played.
- Ryan Callahan has scored just once in the last 28 games.
- Tampa Bay d-man Victor Hedman has six assists in nine games against Colorado.
- Colorado’s Tyson Barrie has four goals and 10 points in his last nine games.
- Jarome Iginla has 14 goals and 25 points in 26 career games against Tampa Bay.
Other news and notes
A finale to the Jonathan Drouin saga sounds closer than it does farther away, for whatever that’s worth. The disgruntled winger, scouted by a bunch of NHL teams upon his assignment to the American Hockey League, has scored two goals and put nine shots on net in three games with Syracuse. The St. Louis Blues seem to remain the favorite, but some have pointed towards the Minnesota Wild as a landing spot, along with several other Western Conference clubs.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.