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:
For #tblightning, it was de ja vu, having lost Stamkos early last year. Though Cooper noted Stamkos missed 4 months, Hedman could be 4 weeks
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) October 19, 2014#tblightning GM Steve Yzerman said @jodrouin27 played really well in Syracuse, felt he was ready. "We think he'll make us a better team."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) October 20, 2014Jonathan Drouin has been recalled by Tampa Bay. Expect him to make his NHL debut tomorrow vs. Edmonton.
— Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) October 19, 2014On 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.