Known for their goal-scoring prowess, the Tampa Bay Lightning are still scoring, but it is their defense that has stepped up after a slow start and moved them to first place in the Atlantic Division.
Winners of 12 of the past 15 games, the Lightning will take their strong stretch of play into Wednesday night’s first meeting this season with the visiting Calgary Flames.
Affected by injuries like just about every team in the NHL thus far, Tampa Bay has leaned on goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and the defenders in front of the former Vezina Trophy winner to pass the Detroit Red Wings for the Atlantic’s top spot.
“We’ve defended,” said coach Jon Cooper, whose Lightning won just one of their first seven games but have gone 12-3-0 since. “Defending is hard because you play without the puck, and it’s not as much fun. It takes a lot of work, lot of energy, but when you’re defending with everything in front of you, it’s easier than when you’re chasing.
“We’re just not (chasing) right now, and we’re playing a pretty complete 200-foot game. If you eliminate odd-man rushes and your goalie sees everything, it makes for, you’d hope, an easier night.”
It was for Vasilevskiy, who was rarely challenged by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers during Tampa Bay’s 3-0 win on Monday night.
The 2019 Vezina winner made 20 saves for his 41st career shutout on a fairly routine night in the blue paint. It was his sixth career shutout against the Flyers and his first this season.
Tampa Bay, without injured center Brayden Point, got two goals from Brandon Hagel, who now trails Jake Guentzel (12 goals) by one for the team lead. Nikita Kucherov has 10 goals this season and Anthony Cirelli nine.
The Flames traveled from Vancouver, where they won 5-2 on Sunday, to the Sunshine State for the second stop of a five-game road trip that also includes visits to the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.
Near the bottom of the Western Conference and ahead of only last-place Nashville, Calgary is playing its best hockey under third-year coach Ryan Huska by winning three straight. The streaky club suffered through an eight-game skid (0-7-1) in October to end the season-opening month at 2-8-2.
The showing against the Pacific Division-rival Canucks was more encouraging in the spell of recent winning play — three wins and six points in four games with two back-to-backs.
Connor Zary, a 2020 first-round pick (24th overall), broke a 20-game goalless streak, finding the back of the net for the first time since opening night on Oct. 8 in Edmonton.
Zary potted a rebound off Mikael Backlund’s one-handed shot for the second tally in the three-goal victory.
“It’s nice for Connor,” Huska said. “He’s a guy that wants to generate, wants to help the team. So when you see him get one, I think he’s going to be a little bit like Matt (Coronato) has been for us, where it’s starting to go for him a little more regularly now.
“It’s not something that happens overnight, but you can start to see a player getting a little bit better each and every day. Then, eventually, they’re going to have a night where something’s going to go in for them. … He’s an intelligent player and is going to find himself around the net.”
Forwards Coronato and Blake Coleman top the Flames with eight goals this season, while Nazem Kadri leads in points (18) and assists (14).
