By Saturday, April 4, was a busy day in the NHL, with 30 teams involved in 15 hot matchups. Quite a few of them officially made it into the playoffs or were eliminated from contention. One thing is for sure for Sunshine State fans: the in-state rivalry will have to hold on until next season. The Florida Panthers, back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, are out, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are in.
This is a relief: the Lightning lead the Atlantic Division at 48-22-6 (102 points in 76 games). Their first-round opponent remains uncertain and will be decided in days. In the meantime, there are issues to address.
More questions
Nikita Kucherov was the NHL 1st Star of the month with nine goals and 26 points in March. After missing two games due to illness, he returned against the Canadiens for one of his worst games of the season. The Lightning lost 4-1, with Kucherov taking six shots, recording no points, and being on the ice for three Canadiens goals. The contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins was dramatic: the Bolts trailed 2-1 after the first, but Kucherov had 1+2, and Cirelli scored a hat-trick in the comeback win. Saturday, Kucherov played less than 17 minutes, with the coaching staff giving him a late shot at an empty net for a 3-1 win. His recent illness and dip in play may signal health concerns, but let’s hope for the best. He was ranked second in the Art Ross Trophy race, after McDavid, with 125 points on Easter Day.
Another record-breaker, undrafted defenseman Darren Raddysh, just scored his 21st goal of the season, surpassing the previous milestone of 20 goals set by Victor Hedman in the 2021-2022 campaign. Raddysh has 67 points and a plus/minus of +26 in 69 matchups. It’s interesting to see how much he will be able to show his improvement during the playoffs. He signed his current contract for $1.95 million ($975 AVV) two years ago. The 30-year-old blueliner is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, which leaves him many options for further negotiations. Hopefully, his breakout season will transform into a greater postseason.
The Bolts are without three defensemen: Crozier, Carlile, and Hedman, which doesn’t look like a problem before the playoffs. Once it starts, the Lightning will need as much depth as possible. Another question concerns Nick Paul’s comfort level: he has only had one assist in 11 games since his return. Corey Perry, always ready for his role, got limited ice time and recorded no points last week. The lineup has enough leverage to stay afloat for the remainder of the season. But do the coaches have a plan B in case Kucherov and Vasilevskiy need some recovery time?
The Lightning are back on the road to face four Eastern teams in six days before ending the regular season with two home games.
