Rather than looking too far ahead, the Lightning are taking it game by game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a fourth consecutive season, a road that begins with a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference First Round. Rather than looking too far ahead, they’re taking it game by game.
Two players that stand out for the Lightning as possible X-factors when called upon are Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel.
Alex Killorn
Alex Killorn has been a crucial player on the roster for some of Tampa’s most successful playoff runs. He quietly makes plays that set the team up for success but most importantly, his ability to win puck battles when they need it most is what makes him an impact player.
In the 2021 Stanley Cup Final he threw his body on the line, stretching out to block a Jeff Petry shot mid-way through the second period. He left the game that night with a broken fibula.
Killorn has a veteran-type impact in the locker room. His relationship with Jon Cooper goes back to 2012, when they led the Norfolk Admirals to the American Hockey League's Calder Cup title. They’ve been winning together for years.
When the Lightning reached the Stanley Cup Final back in 2015, Killorn had more playoff goals than Stamkos.
He’s inching closer to the end of a seven-year contract and just scored a career-high 27th goal in the final regular-season game against Detroit.
His 93 goals across the past four seasons puts him in the league’s top 50.
Brandon Hagel
Brandon Hagel took a giant leap forward this year. He’s playing in the Lightning’s top-six and delivered 30 goals and 64 points. Both were career marks for him in his first full season with the Lightning.
"I think that one's going to slide under the radar and people aren't going to talk about it," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. "But 30 goals is a lot of goals. He's set career highs in goals and points and it's great for those guys."
Last year in Game 2 of the series against the Maple Leafs, Hagel scored his first career playoff goal, which also happened to be the game-winner. He finished the playoffs with four goals and two assists, but more notably, he recorded 34 hits and 16 takeaways.
Hagel showed his speed when the Lightning beat New Jersey 4-1 on March 14th. He had one goal and two assists that night. The physicality of Tampa’s game could give them an edge over Toronto.
From 2020-22 the Lightning won 11 consecutive postseason series and the Stanley Cup twice (2020, 2021) before being defeated by the Colorado Avalanche in six games in the 2022 Final.
If they can turn up the heat to the level of their past three postseason runs, look out.