Tampa Bay’s 2018-19 season ended in disappointment after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. They were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion, St. Louis Blues, in the first round of the playoffs. Entering this season, many are asking whether the Tampa Bay Lightning are still the best team in the NHL. Most nights in our free NHL predictions, you will find the Lightning as our choice to win their match-up, and some nights you may even see them listed as being the choice with the puck line. So, yes, Tampa Bay is still one of the best teams in the NHL. However, they aren’t as dominating this season. Let’s dive into some of the reasons they have had mixed results this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Vasilevskiy had a fantastic season last year, allowing 2.40 goals per game with a .925 save percentage and a record of 39-10-4. This NHL season, he has continued his dominant play with a 4-1 record allowing an average of 2.58 goals per game and a save percentage of 0.921. Andrei may not be playing with as dominating a performance this season, but he still ranks 9th in the NHL in saves with 151. Vasilevskiy isn’t the team’s biggest strength, but that’s not because he isn’t a great goalie.
Tampa Bay’s Top Line
Without a doubt, the team’s biggest strength is their top line of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov. Last season Stamkos, Point, and Kucherov combined for 318 points, which was the most by any top line in the NHL this season. The trio has already gotten off to a solid start this season, recording 22 points. The Lightning is also one of the top-scoring teams in the NHL this season. Tampa Bay is averaging 3.86 goals per game, which ranks 6th in the NHL.
Power Play Unit
Another advantage the Lightning has is their power-play unit with Patrick Maroon, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov. The team is in a tie for the 14th most power-play goals per game. A far cry from where the team was last season in which they were the best power-play unit in the NHL. Tampa Bay is also below average when it comes to penalty kill percentage with 67.86%, which is the 6th worst in the NHL this season.
Tampa Bay has gotten off to a sluggish start this season, which may be attributed to their early playoff exit. The Lightning has nine points to start the season. Tampa is tied with the Maple Leafs and behind the Sabres and Bruins in the division. However, Tampa Bay is still a top team, and as the season wears on, they should be able to knock some of the rust off and look like the dominant team they were last season.