Herrejon: Early season observations from a stellar start for Tampa Bay Lightning

By Dan Herrejon | @DanHerrejon | Like us on Facebook
November 14, 2017

After the first few weeks of the 2017-18 regular NHL season, things are looking bright for the Tampa Bay Lightning. \Leading the Atlantic Division as well as the Eastern Conference with 30 total points in their first 18 games. Oh yeah, they also have the most points in the entire NHL.

There have been some games that the players would welcome a do-over, the first Anaheim game comes to mind. There have been some playoff like games already and there have been some games where the Lightning look downright unbeatable this week during their sweep of California.

Let’s take a look at some of the things we know now that the first 18 games are in the books.

NIkita Kucherov is establishing himself as one of the best pure scorers in the NHL. After hitting the 40-goal mark last season and the 30-goal mark the season before that, what is next for the Lightning’s best winger? One thing for certain is that it appears Kucherov is setting the bar high coming out of the gates this season. At the 18 game mark, Kucherov has 16 goals. Nobody in the organization could have expected that level of production. With a bit of luck and a lot of good health, Kucherov could have a legitimate chance at 60 goals.

As if the potential monster breakout year for Kucherov wasn’t enough, a healthy Steven Stamkos centering the line with Vlad Namestnikov and Kucherov would appear to be icing on the cake. Stamkos currently leads the NHL in points with 31 points, albeit 23 of those have come in the form of assists. Kucherov is second in the league behind his captain with 30 points. Who knew that in addition to being a world class sniper, Stammer could dish helpers with the best in the league?

Add in Namestnikov’s 19 points and the Lightning’s top line has generated 80 points and is currently the top producing line in the league. While the numbers are a bit staggering, the points were expected from Stamkos and Kucherov.

What wasn’t as expected is the spread of the offensive production throughout the other lines. Brayden Point surprised some by earning the position of centering the second line. Along with Yanni Gourde and Ondrej Palat, the second line has contributed 39 points to the cause in the 18 games. In and of itself, this performance from a second line is more than noteworthy but there is so much more from these guys.

The Point line is usually matched up against the top scoring line of each opposing team. Imagine having to defend the likes of lines containing Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin? The Point line has been tasked with this assignment and in two games against the Penguins and one versus the Capitals, neither Crosby nor Ovechkin has registered a single point.

This type of shutdown of the opponent’s scoring lines would be enough to help secure a win but to add over two points a game makes this second line basically second-to-none in the league so far this season.

Another takeaway from the first few games is that defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is ready for prime time. This kid seems to be improving from one game to the next. Not only is he among the leaders offensively for all NHL defensemen, but he is keeping up with the production from players that are playing six, seven and eight or more minutes of ice time per game than the Tampa Bay rookie.

There were some questions during training camp and in the very beginning of the season as to whether the 19-year-old Russian was ready to be an NHL defensemen. Because of his age, it was either send him down to his junior team before he played his 10th regular season game or ride him through the NHL season. His play dictated that answer. Note: Sergachev can still be sent back to Windsor at any time during the season.

Sergachev is tied for seventh on the team with 12 points. Understanding that the 18 game sample size may not be enough to predict how Sergachev’s season will play out, any talk of the Calder Trophy for Outstanding Rookie should include Sergachev based on games played thus far.

The play of goalttender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been somewhat of a surprise to some. The challenge of being the No. 1 can be a big hurdle for some. For others, it takes some time to get the handle of being the top guy. For Vasy, the transition has been smooth as silk.

After giving up eight goals in the first two games of the season, Vasilevskiy has hunkered down and is sporting a 2.41 goals against average. His save percentage has also climbed up from that tepid start to .930.

But numbers alone don’t tell the full story on Vasilevskiy. Look at the game a couple weeks ago against the New York Rangers. The Lightning were outplayed for most of that game, yet the stellar performance by their 23 year-old goalie got the game to overtime by saving 33 of 34 Ranger shots in regulation. The Lightning lost in overtime but stole a point because of the play of their goalie.

The last takeaway from these first 18 games comes from the coaching staff. Jon Cooper is unconventional in many ways. One such way is his continual use of the 11/7 forward/defenseman format. Cooper has utilized this in the majority of games this season.

Having seven D-men at your disposal means a 19-year-old rookie like Sergachev can be brought along more judiciously. He can play 12-13 minutes as he learns the NHL game.

Another benefit from the 11/7, is the ability to mix and match lines. During home games where the Lightning have last line change, Cooper is inserting Kucherov and Stamkos in on the third line. Opposing coaches have enough headaches finding the right matchup for Kuch and Stammer on the 1st line.

So, where is this incredible start leading? There is no doubt that missing the playoffs last season has left a collective chip on the team’s shoulder. The more you watch this team, you begin to see making the playoffs is but one step towards the ultimate goal with this group of guys that are the 2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning.