Atlantic Division Standings: Where Do The Lightning Stand So Far?

The Atlantic Division is working itself out to be a battle early on with teams like Detroit and Ottawa looking to be much improved. Here's more on where the Lightning shake out in the standings.

The Lighting had an all-too-familiar feeling Saturday night at Amalie Arena after losing 4-3 in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Watched that movie before against these guys and it's disappointing just the way that the players handled the third period, well the last half of the third and OT. We're much better than that. And give Toronto a ton of credit,” Jon Cooper said after the loss. 

“Again, we left it on our goalie's shoulders to carry it home and that's so unfair. Obviously, we didn't do it. And we didn't deserve to do it.”

In both of their overtime games this season against Buffalo and Toronto, Tampa lost the opening faceoffs and didn’t touch the puck for two minutes afterwards. Had Tampa won both of these games in overtime, they would be sitting at 4-2-0, with eight points through the first six games. Right now they are 2-2-2 and are on pace for 82 points.

It’s early in the season and there are still 76 games left to be played. Since the 2017-18 season, the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning have consistently taken the top three spots in the Atlantic Division with Florida climbing their way up into the window as well.

Let’s take a look at where everyone stands so far. 

Through four games, the Bruins gave up just six goals, giving them the lowest goals-against average in the NHL to start. There were questions as to where they’d be without Patrice Bergeron but alas, they’re back on top. 

Steve Yzerman has been working to rebuild the Red Wings since he arrived, and so far his work looks to have paid off. Detroit is currently leading the NHL with an average of 4.80 goals per game. They’re coming off a 5-2 win in Ottawa on Saturday and are second in the Atlantic Division. 

They've played fewer games than anyone else in the division but this is an improved start for Martin St-Louis' team. To be determined if they can keep it going but if they can, they’ll lock in a playoff spot.

Ottawa had three straight wins after a loss to Carolina on Opening Night. Detroit snapped their win-streak on Saturday beating them 5-2. Still they’re much improved and look to be moving in the right direction. 

Matthew Knies has been a star for Toronto, helping them earn a third-period comeback against the Lightning on Saturday. They’ve had an up and down start, but if they stay where they're at now, they’re on pace for a wild card spot in the Atlantic Division.

If you’re here, you already know where the Lightning stand. The injury bug bit them early, with Andrei Vasilevskiy recovering from back surgery. The Lightning are looking to stay above water while he’s out. In addition to Vasilevskiy, they lost captain Steven Stamkos for two games during an Atlantic Division road-trip and Tyler Motte, who has proven to be a strong addition in the lineup. He’s expected to be out for a couple more weeks with a hand injury. 

There are multiple new additions this year and the team seems to be adjusting to the changes across the board. Turnovers have been a consistent problem for Tampa this season. The good news? It's all happening very early and there's plenty of time to turn it around.

The Panthers opened with one of the tougher schedules in the Atlantic Division. They’re coming off a Stanley Cup run which also comes with a very short offseason and multiple injuries. They locked in a big 3-1 win against Toronto in Sunrise on Thursday. They could have brighter days coming when they have a full roster. 

The team everyone said to look out for. Right now they’re averaging just 2.40 goals-for per game. Their offensive powerhouse, Tage Thompson has just one goal so far this season and they're coming off a 3-1 loss to Montreal on Monday night.

They’ll have to turn the page quickly if they want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot.