Shortened season could help Tampa Bay Lightning to repeat as Champions

Not playing a full schedule could really benefit the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-21.

We are still waiting for news on the 2020-21 NHL season but, with a less than 60-game schedule now almost certain, the Tampa Bay Lightning may well be in the perfect position to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.

After years of coming up short in the postseason that featured a plethora of near-misses, heartbreaking losses and that humiliating First Round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets after a historic 2018-19 regular season, the Lightning finally put their demons to rest after winning the Stanley Cup in 2019-20 inside The Bubble.

By beating the Dallas Stars in six games in Edmonton to finally get their hands on the greatest prize in all of sports, Tampa Bay finally achieved their ultimate mission and a talent-laden core finally threw the monkey off their backs.

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However, winning is the ultimate drug and there’s no doubt that the Lightning, who will bring back pretty much the same roster in 2020-21, will be ready to run the table yet again and attempt to become the first back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

And, while repeating as champs is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports, the Tampa Bay Lightning might have a distinct advantage in 2020-21.

A shortened schedule.

Yes, as we mentioned at the top, there will be no 82-game slate this year due to the COVD-19 Pandemic and due to the fact that the NHL needs to finish the Playoffs before the Tokyo Olympics, while also protecting the 2020-21 season.

As a result, a season featuring anywhere between 48-60 games is almost certain and no team is better placed to directly benefit from a truncated schedule than the Lightning.

While games will be played at breakneck speed and in a much-shorter timeframe, Tampa Bay has the depth to cope with a sprint while less games means less wear and tear on certain players.

Stars in the ilk of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, who have both missed time down the stretch and to start the Playoffs in each of the last two seasons, with Stamkos missing all but a few minutes of the 2019-20 run, will benefit greatly from having less wear on their body due to a shortened schedule, keeping them fresh for the postseason and the most important time of the year.

Plus, due to their stacked roster and lineup, the Lightning can probably implement some form of load management at points throughout the season to protect the likes of Stamkos and Hedman, without hurting their chances of punching their postseason ticket.

Victor Hedman #77 of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Not playing a marathon of a full 82-game schedule should also help Tampa Bay to really keep their focus after coming off a championship, keeping the whole organization sharp and alert as they chase a second straight ring.

There will be no time for a cup hangover because, have a slow start and that could prove costly in a much shortened season, so the Lightning will need to be ready to go from the very first drop of the puck.

They also have the talent, the star power, the firepower and the depth to blow through a short regular season while still being relatively fresh for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the likes of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy will really come into their own.

Also, last year’s Trade Deadline acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow will have a full Training Camp to fully get up to speed with systems and styles of play, while they both add some much-needed grit and substance to a team that was all flair and style for so long.

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Overall, a shortened NHL 2020-21 season will present a plethora of challenges for so many teams but, for the Tampa Bay Lightning, it could actually prove to be a blessing in disguise as they bid to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.

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