With the first month of 2025 now over, the Tampa Bay Lightning can hit the reset button and hope their January record was an anomaly, not indicative of the type of team they really are.
Sporting a record below .500, the Lightning experienced every type of game imaginable. From tight ones to offensive outbursts, they had fans and coaches alike scratching their heads, wondering which team would show up any given night. Would it be the one clicking on all cylinders or the one struggling to score with any regularity, leading to a number of close defeats?
Coming off of a December to remember, this team had put themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. A subpar January left them still in the thick of things, but with little room for error heading into the season’s final few months.
Now is a good time to review a brutal month for the Bolts, with 16 games in 30 days. 10 of those were on the road, including four sets of back-to-backs.
January began with a trip to California. With three games in four nights and crossing two time zones to get there, three points would have been acceptable. Instead, three straight regulation losses (two of which came by the same 2-1 score) left the Lightning empty-handed.
Finally, back on home ice, they faced an always dangerous Carolina Hurricanes team in a game that was postponed from early October due to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Thanks to late-game heroics from the top line of Jake Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point, the losing skid stopped at four games.
That led into a clash of two Atlantic Division heavyweights in the Boston Bruins and the Lightning. The winner took third place in the division standings temporarily. Special teams played a key role, with both a shorthanded and power play goal leading to a 4-1 victory.
Next, they faced a challenging back-to-back situation, on the road in New Jersey and Pittsburgh. A tough first period left the Lightning chasing the game, but they were able to get one point courtesy of a third that saw them outshoot the Devils nine to one. Unfortunately, Stefan Noesen scored on the power play to give the Devils two points in the standings.
The next night saw them fight back from a one goal deficit after a period of play to secure a 5-2 win. Kucherov had a three-point game, including the game-winner, to cap a week that saw the Bolts collect seven of a possible eight points.
Unfortunately, the good vibes were short lived, as the Bruins scored four unanswered goals to win the second meeting between the two teams in less than a week. The final score was 6-2.
Back home for a couple of games before heading on the road for four games in six days, the Lightning needed a shootout goal from Guentzel to win a game they probably shouldn’t have made that close.
Next, the Detroit Red Wings made their first of two trips to Tampa. Guentzel and Kucherov had three points each in a 5-1 victory that cooled the Red Wings off.
After earning four points in a brief, two-game homestand, the Lightning headed out on a brutal road trip. They faced the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in a back-to-back set before getting a couple of days off. Then they played the Chicago Blackhawks and Red Wings in less than 24 hours.
While not surprising, the Lightning’s woes continued against Toronto in a 5-3 loss. The following night, they allowed Montreal to score the game-winner late in regulation for another setback.
Facing off against the worst team in the NHL, a late goal in regulation and overtime winner from none other than Kucherov allowed them to steal two points.
Less than 24 hours later, Cam Talbot shut out the Lightning 2-0. That started an offensive swoon this team hasn’t seen in years.
Upon returning home, Tampa Bay needed to find a way to grind out points in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference playoff race. Sadly, an illness forced goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to not dress. Jonas Johansson got the start and didn’t do too poorly, but penalty trouble in the middle frame and an inability to convert multiple grade A chances into goals led to their fourth defeat in five games.
With the pressure to win increasing thanks to their recent swoon, the Lightning got news that Johansson was day-to-day with an injury. Matt Tompkins was called up from AHL Syracuse with Vasilevskiy a game-time decision after participating in his first morning skate in a few days.
Vasilevskiy was able to go and played arguably his best game in at least a month, if not longer. The result was a 3-0 shutout of the Kings to close out a forgettable first month of 2025.
Special teams, especially the power play, has hit a bump in the road. Without the lethal one timer from former forward Steven Stamkos, there’s one less threat for opponents to focus on. Captain Victor Hedman isn’t shooting enough and the rest of the team is passing their way out of scoring chances.
Offensively, Point has been invisible for the most part since the calendar flipped to 2025. Anthony Cirelli has cooled off after a hot start to this season as well. That’s concerning, especially with this team lacking secondary scoring. Kucherov, Brandon Hagel (when on his game) and Vasilevskiy can’t single handedly carry Tampa Bay to a postseason spot.
Can the Lightning turn things around in the months ahead? While it won’t be easy, this team has the experience and potential to play better than they have shown recently. It will require a commitment to details and a willingness to sacrifice their bodies in an attempt to get to the dirty areas in front of the net, leading to greasy goals. If this occurs, the wins should come and a playoff spot will likely follow.
ITR 39: Conference Finals – Inside The Rink
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