1.) Sunday, Feb. 10 @ Panthers- 6 p.m.
The Lightning will take on the Panthers, who are looking to get back into the playoff positioning. This will be a game that features the first and third ranked power plays in the League. The Bolts have outscored the Panthers 14-8 in three game played this season and are 3-0-0 against them.The Lightning Win If...
They play a solid even strength game and manage to stay out of the penalty box. The Panthers have allowed 125 even strength goals against this season, but have one of the best power plays in the League. The Lightning do have the second best penalty kill in the League, but they are only killing 80% of penalties taken on the road. The Bolts have played a solid even strength game all season and have outscored the opposition by 25 goals while playing 5-on-5.
Matchup of the Game
It will be interesting to watch the Panthers power play go up against the Lightning penalty kill. The Panthers power play is third in the NHL, which ranked them third in the NHL at 27%. The home power play is actually better at 28%. The Lightning penalty kill has improved immensely and is now second in the League (84.7%), but the penalty kill is not as good on the road (80%) as it is on home ice (89.5%).
Game Prediction
The Lightning will win this game 2-1, which means the goalies are going to make some saves. It is an important game for both team with the Lightning wanting to build on their Atlantic Division lead, while the Panthers are fighting to get back into a playoff spot. The Bolts goals will come from J.T Miller and Brayden Point with the Panthers lone goal being scored by Vincent Trocheck.
2.) Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. Flames- 7:30 p.m.-ESPN+
The Bolts take on the Flames, who bring plenty of speed to this game. In the only game against this season, the Lightning managed to pull out the win in the shootout. These two teams each have the speed, talent and can put the puck in the net so this should be a fast-paced hockey game with some goals scored.
The Lightning Will Win If...
They can manage to slow down the Flames' top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. The line has combined for 199 points so far this season. The line has a combination of speed, playing and finishing ability. The Lightning need to establish a good forecheck early in this game, get plenty of shots on net and make the Flames defend in their own zone. The Bolts should also try to limit their mistakes especially in the neutral zone with the Flames transition speed.
Matchup of the Game
The teams are very close in style, but the main difference has been the goaltending. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Louis Domingue have done a great job in stopping the puck for the Lightning this season. The goaltending duo of Mike Smith and David Rittich has had its problems this season. The goaltending has improved since Rittich has taken over the starting job, but they are still letting in soft goals. If the Flames want to win this game then the goalie needs to make the routine stops.
Game Prediction
The Flames will tie the game late in regulation to force overtime. The Lightning will lose 4-3 in the extra session. The Flames goals will be scored by Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Sam Bennett and James Neal. The Bolts goals will go to Yanni Gourde, Mathieu Joseph and Steven Stamkos.
3.) Thursday, Feb. 14 vs Stars- 7:30 p.m.-ESPN +
The Stars have been one of the more inconsistent teams because they lack a balanced lineup. The Stars are basically a one line team with the other three lines pitching in once every few games or so. The Lightning can't overlook this team or they will not get two points out of a very winnable game. The Bolts beat the Stars 2-0 earlier in the season on the road.
The Lightning Will Win If...
The team gets off to a fast start and continues it throughout the game. The Stars have been outscored big time by the opposition in the first periods of games. It is almost like the Stars aren't ready for the start of the game, but get better as the game goes on. The Bolts have outscored the opposition in the first period but by less than 10 goals, so they want to improve on their starts.
Matchup of the Game
Tyler Seguin has been everything for the Stars this season after signing his contract in the offseason. He doesn't have as many points as the team would like, but he has really picked up his play of late. He leads the team in goals (22), assists (29) and points (51). Nikita Kucherov got off to a slower than usual start, but that hasn't affected his play this season. He leads the team in assists (59) and points (81) with Brayden Point, who just happens to be Kucherov's centerman, leading the team in goals (31). These two players have the potential to do some damage in the game.
Game Prediction
The Lightning manage to win this one because of its depth scoring by a score of 3-1. They'll get a late empty net goal to seal the win. The one Stars goal will be scored by Tyler Seguin with Alexander Radulov adding a primary assist. The three Lightning goals will come from Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point.
4.) Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Canadiens- 7 p.m.- NHLN
The Montreal Canadiens have been on of the surprise teams in the NHL this season. They have three lines that have the potential to score and have gotten decent goaltending. The power play has probably been one of the down falls on this team and it is ranked 30th in the League (13.5%). This should be a good fast paced game that may very need overtime to decide the game.
The Lightning Will Win If...
They get plenty of pucks on net with traffic in front of the opposing goalie. The Lightning should want to take away the goalie's eyes especially if Carey Price is in net for the Canadiens. The Bolts should play with their speed to try to get to loose pucks and then make sure that they establish a forecheck early in the game.
Matchup of the Game
One of the goaltenders if going to steal this game for his team especially if the starters are Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy. These goalies can make the routine save and make highlight reel saves. Price has been playing well of late and Vasilevskiy has been playing decent since coming back from his broken foot. The teams are going to have to get the goalies moving from post to post and get plenty of traffic in front for deflections.
Game Prediction
The Habs are going to get some revenge for the two earlier loses to the Bolts this season by winning 3-2 in overtime. The two games have seen the two teams combine for 16 goals. The Lightning have 10 goals in the season series while the Canadiens have scored six times. The Canadiens goals will come from Max Domi, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher. The Lightning goal scorers are Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.
Lightning Strikes Weekly Prediction
The Lightning will finish a tough week with a 2-0-2 record and grab six points in the standings.
