After a slow start to the season, the Lightning are finding their rhythm again. A 5–2 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday gave them three straight wins and brought the team back to .500.
In his third game back from a preseason injury, Zemgus Girgensons opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, finishing a one-handed feed from Pontus Holmberg midway through the first period. The Yanni Gourde, Girgensons and Holmberg line is already showing signs of chemistry early on.
Building off the lead early, the Lightning continued to generate chances in the second. Brandon Hagel jumped in to bury a rebound after rookie Dominic James’ shot deflected to Anthony Cirelli, who sent it back towards the net.
Hagel scored 8 seconds after the Lightning power play expired to put his team up 2-0. Cirelli’s assist on Hagel’s goal gave him his 300th career point.
The Predators pushed back, making it 2-1 early in the third on a power-play rebound, but a new Lightning addition quickly came through. In just his third game with Tampa Bay, defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous stole the show, scoring his first NHL goal by joining Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov on the rush.
“The last week has been pretty nice for me since I’ve been here,” D’Astous said after the game. “I’m just trying to help the team to win, and I know I have good poise defensively, I can bring some offense, and it’s nice to be rewarded.”
Kucherov sealed the win for the Lightning with an empty-net goal in the final minute, and Girgensons added his second of the night shortly after, tying his goal total from last season.
“It was a weird training camp, and some of the guys that are playing weren’t on our team here. We’ve kind of found a little mojo right now,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “But first and foremost there’s been a dedication to play not so sloppy defensively and they’ve really dug in in that regard, and I think that’s kind of the big reason why it’s working.”
The Lightning will try to make it four straight when they welcome the Dallas Stars to Benchmark International Arena on Thursday night.