Author: Lauren Burg

Lauren Burg is a Tampa Bay Lightning writer for “Inside the Rink.” A lifelong Tampa Bay Area resident, she graduated from the University of South Florida’s world-renowned journalism program in December 2009. While in college, she discovered hockey and the Tampa Bay Lightning. She quickly became a passionate fan, attending many games over the years. She also experienced an All-Star game in 2018, numerous road games, and, most recently, the Bolts back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Since graduating college, she’s been working hard to combine her two loves, writing and hockey, hoping to one day make that her full-time career. In her free time, she enjoys attending sporting events (both home & road when possible), taking photos, and traveling.

Making a Case For Each Hart Trophy Frontrunner

With the NHL season nearing its conclusion and the Trade Deadline less than a week away, it’s time to look at some players who have a legitimate shot of capturing the Hart Trophy. Given annually to the league’s most valuable player (MVP), these four have stood out above the rest. In this article, I’ll make […]

Who Should the Lightning Target at Trade Deadline?

With February nearing its end, NHL teams are focusing on how to improve their chances of making the playoffs entering the stretch run. The Tampa Bay Lightning are no exception, as they need a left-handed, puck-moving defenseman to replace the injured Mikhail Sergachev. Some notable names that have been linked to the Lightning ahead of […]

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nicholas Paul (20) celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with forward Michael Eyssimont (23) and forward Ross Colton (79) during the third period of Game 5 Thursday night in Toronto.

Lightning Need More Production From Bottom Six

With the 2023-24’ NHL regular season three quarters of the way finished, one thing has stuck out in a negative way for the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s their lack of secondary scoring, specifically from their bottom six forwards. Conor Sheary has been a total bust after signing a three-year, $6 million contract this past summer. […]

Quick Strikes: Top Line Shines, Defensive Miscues Galore & Offense Goes Cold

Fresh off of a 2-2 road trip that ended with a big shootout win over the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning hoped to keep momentum going during a four-game home stand. Unfortunately, after a great start, the Lightning uncharacteristically dropped three straight inside the normally friendly confines of Amalie Arena. Two of […]

NHL Game Recap: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | 02/17/2024

Embarrassing. That’s the only way to describe the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 9-2 loss to their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers, on Saturday night. The Lightning brought the home crowd to their feet less than 30 seconds in, with Anthony Cirelli sending a perfect pass to Brandon Hagel, who sped past a Panther defender and beat […]

Quick Strikes: Sergachev Suffers Serious Injury, Defensive Struggles Return & Vasilevskiy Stands Tall

Coming out of a 10 day break that afforded players time to rest and reset for the stretch run, the Tampa Bay Lightning looked to keep their January momentum going on the road. Unfortunately, the result was a mixed bag, as the team went 2-2 in four road games post All-Star break. The trip started […]

Kuznetsov Enters Player Assistance Program

The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced on Monday that Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be unavailable to his team for an unknown period of time while receiving care from the Player Assistance Program. Created back in 1996, the Player Assistance Program is meant to help players and […]

What Has Keyed the Lightning’s Turnaround to Start 2024?

Since the calendar flipped to 2024, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Their 9-3 record, 8-1 after the first week, has catapulted them into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race after a rocky start to this season. With 50 games in the books and only […]

Quick Strikes: Call Ups Shine, Kucherov Continues Tearing Up NHL & Milestones Galore

Fresh off of an outstanding week, going a perfect 3-0 to start a four-game home stand, the Tampa Bay Lightning got a mini break before playing every other day up until their bye week and the All-Star break. Straight out of their four-day break after beating the Anaheim Ducks, the Lightning got contributions from nearly […]

Quick Strikes: Cooper Reaches 500 Wins, Unlikely Overtime Heroes & Stamkos Makes Power Play History

Fresh off of a losing road trip to begin 2024, the Tampa Bay Lightning came home on a mission to start a winning streak that would vault them back into playoff contention. It wasn’t easy, but with one game remaining in this current four-game home stand, they have accomplished what they set out to do. […]