The Lightning core is still very much alive and Nick Paul is fitting in well on the power play. The team will head to Detroit on Friday for back-to-back games this weekend.
With so many new additions to the roster, there were ongoing questions as to what the Lightning’s game would look like in their season debut. With Game 1 officially in the books, here are some of my takeaways.
Nick Paul seems to fit in perfectly on the top power play
Positioning Nick Paul on the power play surrounded by guys like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev is the way to go, at least as of right now. Paul helped solidify the 5-3 win by scoring a pair of power play goals and adding an assist to his tally. His size is going to work to the Lightning's advantage.
“When you’re with good players, you just try and get them the puck,” Paul said. “And then my job is just stay in there, take the goalie away and then the trash in front, put it in. Just got to keep it going and build confidence.”
Kucherov is back to being in a league of his own..
It’s been well reported that Nikita Kucherov had been skating on his own since May, while most players in the league took a much-needed break away from hockey. It’s clear his off-season work paid dividends.
Kucherov snagged the first goal of the NHL season after he launched a one-timer fed over by Victor Hedman and put the Lightning on top early. We all remember what Stanley Cup Kuch looked like. As the team continues to find their rhythm with many new players and also get comfortable in their new system, Kucherov will continue to deliver. He looks more determined than ever. Expecting a huge season from him.
The Lightning are hungry to win again.
No one was happy with the way last season ended. There’s a long standing culture of winning in the Lightning organization. They've trained their minds to think about one thing, winning. It's worked out well so far.
A benefit of losing in the first round of the playoffs is that it gave the veteran players a full offseason to rest and regroup.
Now the energy is back in the building.
There’s a mixture of new energy coming in with new players on the roster and a more refreshed energy coming in from the veterans. Guys like Tyler Motte, Conor Sheary and Luke Glendening all have plenty of NHL experience but this is a new environment for them.
Victor Hedman told the media last week that he’s been “having a blast” getting to know all the new players. You could see the excitement on his face and that translated onto the ice Tuesday night.
That core is still very much alive. They weren't scared of a deficit to Nashville and continued to push on defense throughout the entirety of the game. The winning culture starts with them.
“Hopefully, we’re in some of those situations again where teams have to pull their goalies,” Jon Cooper said after the win on Opening Night. “That’d be a good sign for us.”
The Lightning will hit the road early in the season for back-to-back games. They'll face the Red Wings on Saturday night in Detroit before heading straight to Ottawa to take on the Senators Sunday night.