Welcome to this edition of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stock Up and Stock Down, a weekly column detailing the highs and lows of the team’s performance.
After a sluggish start coming out of the All-Star Break, the Tampa Bay Lightning may have played their best two games of the season in defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Saturday (Feb. 11) and dominating the Colorado Avalanche 5-0 last Thursday (Feb. 9). These victories easily erased the bad taste left by losing their two previous games to the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers.
The two victories especially pleased head coach Jon Cooper who said after the Dallas game, “Arguably the two best teams you might see in the Western Conference. I’ve been proud of our guys. The week didn’t start out great, but the group that we have here dug their heels in this week.” Like they have done in previous seasons, the team was able to bounce back from some disappointing performances and start strong in the first of a four-game road trip.
Stock Up: Victor Hedman
In Saturday’s win against the Stars, Hedman became the 33rd defenseman in NHL history to get 500 assists when he skated around the back of the net and shot the puck to the slot, where it deflected off the stick of Anthony Cirelli to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead with just 43 seconds left in the game.
The 32-year-old joins Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos as the only players in Lightning franchise history to tally 500 assists with the club and just the 22nd defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark in less than 1,000 games.
Stock Up: Anthony Cirelli
After putting up two helpers in the win over the Avalanche, Cirelli scored twice and added an assist in a 3-1 victory over the Stars. After scoring on a breakaway thanks to a great pass from Brandon Hagel, he scored on a deflection in the slot with 43 seconds left, proving to be the game-winner against the Stars. That goal was the result of Cirelli’s determination as he was able to win a battle with a Dallas player to score, courtesy of the Hedman pass.
While the 25-year-old’s value is usually not measured by how many goals he scores, it was nice to see him start putting pucks in the net after struggling recently. He recently ended a five-game point drought with his two assists in the Avalanche game. After scoring seven points in his first seven games, he could only muster six in his next 21. His play has been one of the major reasons why the Lightning have played so well in their last two games.
Stock Down: Ian Cole
Cole has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable amount under the CBA, for kneeing Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano, NHL Player Safety announced on Friday, Feb. 10. The 33-year-old was not penalized on the play, which was fortunate for the Lightning as going on the penalty kill early in the game could have led to a different outcome in the contest. One of the issues that has plagued the team this season is taking too many unnecessary penalties and putting too much pressure on their penalty-killing units – and plays like this do not help.
Stock Up: Andrei Vasilevskiy
It was a bit surprising to find out that the All-Star’s last shutout came on Nov. 26, 2021, against the Seattle Kraken. That changed when Vasilevskiy shut out the Avalanche on Thursday. After being hung to dry in the loss to the Panthers, he responded by putting on a brilliant display against the team that ended the Lightning’s hope for three straight Stanley Cups. He made 30 saves, including a spectacular stop on a Matt Nieto breakaway in the second period.
After picking up his 29th career shutout, he again put the team on his back to lead them to a win against the Stars. He made 28 saves in that contest, only allowing a Jamie Benn goal in the second period. Vasilevskiy is now 25-13-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .919 save percentage on the season, giving everyone a solid reminder of why he should be considered one of the best, if not the best, goaltender in the game.
Stock Up: Brandon Hagel
The 24-year-old has also been outstanding in the last two games. Against Dallas, his pass set up Cirelli on his breakaway goal. Before that, he scored two goals and added a power-play assist in the win over Colorado. He now has exceeded his career mark of 44 points set in 77 games last season. Regardless of where he plays in the lineup, Hagel continues to be a player who sets up his linemates and the team for success.
The Lightning will continue their road trip with a rematch against the Avalanche on Tuesday (Feb. 14). They will have a quick turnaround and face the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday (Feb. 15) before concluding their trip in Las Vegas to face the Golden Knights on Saturday (Feb. 18).
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