Lightning's Pontus Holmberg: Tallies again Thursday
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Holmberg scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 8-4 win over the Devils.
Holmberg has scored in back-to-back contests. The 26-year-old is slotting into a third-line role with Yanni Gourde and Zemgus Girgensons as linemates, though that's a trio that will often focus more on their own zone than on offense. Holmberg is at three goals, eight points, 30 shots on net, 26 hits, 12 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 24 appearances this season. Even with time lost to an undisclosed injury, he's on pace to top the 20-point mark for the first time in his career.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Back-to-back two-point games
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Point scored a goal and added an assist Thursday in an 8-4 win over New Jersey.
Point's goal early in the third period gave the Lightning a 7-3 lead. The star center has had a difficult season, but he has put up back-to-back two-point games this week (two goals, two assists). Point started the season with a three-point effort against the Sens on opening night, and he hadn't put up more than a single point until Tuesday night. This could be a good sign, and you might still be able to leverage his future out of a frustrated manager. Point is far better than the 15 points he has put up in 24 games.
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Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Among league's best snipers
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Hagel scored a goal and added an assist in an 8-4 win over the Devils on Thursday.
Hagel put the Bolts up 6-2 in the second period when he wired a snap shot past Jake Allen during a delayed penalty. It was his 18th goal of the season, but plants him firmly in the NHL's top-10 in a three-way tie with Sidney Crosby and Kirill Kaprizov for sixth. Hagel continues to flirt with a 50-goal, 80-point pace this season. He's also on a record shot pace (92 in 30 games), but that 19.6 shooting percentage is well above his 15.9 career mark. Expect a bit of regression.
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Lightning's J.J. Moser: First points in 10 games
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Moser put up two assists in an 8-4 win over the Devils on Thursday.
It was the first time Moser put up any points since November 22, a span of 10 contests (13 shots). He doesn't really offer much by way of hits, blocks or shots, and he doesn't get enough ice to build on the promise he showed in 2022-23 (31 points in 82 games in Arizona). However, Moser will be called on to eat some of the ice time left empty with Victor Hedman's (undisclosed) return to injured reserve.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Second straight win
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Johansson made 33 saves in an 8-4 win over New Jersey on Thursday.
Johansson and the Bolts never trailed Thursday. It was his his second straight win after a three-game losing skid. Johansson is now 7-5-0 with a 2.65 GAA and .905 save percentage in 12 starts this season, and he will continue to guard the blue paint until Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) returns.
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Lightning's Nick Paul: First goal in six games
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Paul scored a goal Thursday in an 8-4 win over the Devils.
Paul put the Bolts up 1-0 with a snap shot from the left hashmarks at 2:57 of the first period. It was his first goal in six games. Paul is hopping the boards as Tampa's 4C, but his value goes up because of his job on PP2. Overall, he has three goals, four assists and 20 shots in 12 games this season.
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Lightning's Darren Raddysh: Four points in last two games
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Raddysh scored a goal and added an assist in an 8-4 win over the Devils on Thursday.
His one-timer from the point at 3:48 of the first period put the Bolts up 2-0. Raddysh has four points, including three goals, in his last two games (four shots). Victor Hedman (undisclosed) is back on injured reserve, and Raddysh is continuing to show he can carry the proverbial mail for the Bolts.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: First power-play goal in 12 games
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Guentzel scored a goal and added two assists Thursday in an 8-4 win over New Jersey.
The goal and one assist came on the power play. It was his first power-play goal in 12 games. Guentzel has four points (one goal, three assists) over his last two games (three shots). The 31-year-old winger remains on an 80-point, 215-shot pace, but his four power-play snipes project to just 10 on the season. Guentzel put up 17 PPG in 2024-25.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Massive four-point game
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Kucherov set up four goals Thursday in an 8-4 win over New Jersey. One of the assists came on the power play.
It was Kucherov's 35th four-point NHL game. He is climbing the NHL's scoring chart; with the helpers, he now steps onto the NHL's top-five playmakers list and could end up at or near the top of that group by season's end. And Kucherov's 40 points move him into the top-10 overall. This season, Kuch is scoring the hard way -- at even strength -- a lot more. Ten of his 40 points (25 percent) have come on the power play. In the last three seasons, he has put up 37 to 44 percent of his points while on the man advantage. The culprit? The team's power play, which sits 22nd overall with a 17.9 percent success rate. The year before, the Bolts were fifth overall with a 25.9 percent success rate.
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Lightning's Oliver Bjorkstrand: Massive three-point game in win
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Bjorkstrand scored twice and added an assist in an 8-4 win over the Devils on Thursday.
Bjorkstrand took a cross-ice feed from Jake Guentzel, stepped out of the right circle toward the net and roofed the puck over Jake Allen's glove to put the Bolts up 5-1 in the second period. And he added a power-play snipe late in the game for Tampa's eighth goal. The goals were his first in 10 games. Bjorkstrand has waited all season for a game like this. Prior to Thursday, he had just two goals and eight assists in 30 contests. The winger can score -- he had 20 goals and 59 points in 82 games with Seattle in 2023-24. Hopefully, this game is a turning point for the Dane's season.
James (undisclosed) will miss Thursday's game versus the Devils, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
James is out of the lineup for a third straight game. The Lightning have not provided an update on his status, but they haven't made a roster move regarding James either, which suggests he's still considered day-to-day. His next chance to play is Saturday versus the Islanders.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Guarding goal in New Jersey
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Johansson will protect the road goal versus the Devils on Thursday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Johansson has allowed just seven goals over his last four games, but he's unfortunate to be 1-3-0 in that span. He snapped his losing streak with a 26-save effort in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Canadiens. Johansson continues to see a hefty workload due to Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) being sidelined, though Encina reports Vasilevskiy is still considered to be in the day-to-day range.
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Lightning's Declan Carlile: Back in NHL
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Carlile was recalled from AHL Syracuse on Thursday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Carlile has one goal in nine NHL games this season, as he was called up from the minors for the second time this season. Carlile had two goals and nine assists in 16 AHL games before his recall. The Lightning placed Victor Hedman (undisclosed) on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Placed on injured reserve
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Hedman (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Hedman suffered an injury during Tuesday's game against the Canadiens, and the issue will force him to miss at least a week. He was sidelined for 12 games between November and early December due to an unspecified injury, and it's not yet clear how much time he'll miss due to his current ailment. Declan Carlile was recalled in a corresponding move, and he should have a chance to see playing time in Hedman's absence.
Crozier logged an assist, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Canadiens.
The helper was Crozier's first point in four games since he returned from missing eight contests due to an undisclosed injury. The 25-year-old defenseman will continue to play regularly as the Lightning fill holes on the blue line, one of which reopened when Victor Hedman (undisclosed) left this contest early. Crozier has amassed four helpers, 21 shots on net, 13 hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 12 outings while battling his own injury troubles this season.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: Gets 600th NHL point in 630 games
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Guentzel picked up an assist Tuesday in a 6-1 victory over the Canadiens.
It was his 600th NHL point; it came in his 630th game. Guentzel has 14 goals, 15 assists and 79 shots in 30 games this season, which puts him on pace for 38 goals, 80 points and 215 shots. That's almost identical to his 41-goal, 39-assist and 217-shot effort last year.
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Lightning's Pontus Holmberg: First goal in 19 games
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Holmberg scored a goal in a 6-1 win over Montreal on Tuesday.
Holmberg came out of the penalty box in the first period, pounced on a loose puck and put a backhand between Jakub Dobes' pads on a breakaway. It was Holmberg's second goal this season and first in 19 games. Both goals were game-winners.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: First win in four starts
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Johansson made 26 saves Tuesday in a 6-1 win over the Canadiens.
It was his fourth straight start and first win in that span while Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) is out. This time, his mates actually scored to help him out. The Bolts had failed to tap the keg for 130:43. Johansson will remain in the blue paint until Vasy returns, and the former is a solid play as long as his team shows up. He's 6-5-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .907 save percentage overall in 11 starts.
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