Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos Gunning for Art Ross Trophy
Steven Stamkos had trouble staying healthy over the past few years, but 2017-18 is looking like a second coming for the Tampa Bay Lightning superstar
Steven Stamkos was always one of the NHL’s best players. Unfortunately for him, injuries are a part of the game, and he was limited to 94 games over the last two seasons. However, when the Tampa Bay Lightning captain is on the ice, he continues to perform at an elite level.
Stamkos did play a full 82-game season in 2014-15, where he recorded 43 goals and 72 points, but missed most of the prior season with a broken leg. For a player who scored 90-plus points in three of his first four NHL seasons, and played all 82 games in those three, Stamkos’ overall legacy was derailed once the injury bug struck.
2017-18 is going to be different for Stamkos. He is already at the 20-point mark in 10 games, and looks like his old self on the powerplay.
The great thing about the Lightning is they were never bad without Stamkos, and his imminent return would only make them better. Now, at full strength, the Lightning look ready to make another Stanley Cup push.
Chemistry with Nikita Kucherov Part of His Sucess
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What a duo Nikita Kucherov and Stamkos have become. They are clearly the most consistent in the NHL, but are also becoming the most dominant. They are fixed in the top 10 in scoring, and could flirt with the top five all season. If they continue to produce at this level, they will need the supplementary scoring to step up as well.
The NHL is a different league now. Most teams are deploying two to three strong scoring lines, and depth needs to be the name of the game. While Stamkos and Kucherov can easily carry the team, they will need production from everyone to keep winning games. What happens if one of them goes down with an injury? The Lightning will want to have some secondary help to pick up the slack. Without that, they could scoot out of the playoff hunt similar to last season.
The defense is as sound as ever, and youngster Andrei Vasilevskiy is becoming an elite number one goalie. They are playing him as much as possible, and he is responding with consistently-strong performances. It’s not all about scoring, the Lightning have built a productive group on the back-end.
Next: 3 Burning Questions For The Lightning
The strong offense coupled with the responsible defensive play makes the Lightning one of the scariest teams in the NHL. At the same time, the focus all season long will be to stay healthy, primarily for Stamkos.