Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, who’s led the NHL in scoring twice before, has seven goals through the first nine games of the 2022-23 season.
Courtesy of @tblightning on Instagram.
By Max Steele
Following three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and cementing itself in the history books, the Tampa Bay Lightning are back on the ice and look to continue its dynasty run in the 2022-23 National Hockey League season.
The Lightning currently hold a 5-4 record through the first nine games of the season and sit in the middle of the Atlantic Division, which the Boston Bruins lead by a league-best record of 8-1.
The team started the season relatively slow, losing its season opener 3-1 against the New York Rangers on Oct. 11, but have since found its Stanley-Cup-winning groove and now sit above .500 after a two-game winning streak.
Captain Steven Stamkos leads the team with seven goals and veteran Nikita Kucherov leads the team with nine assists and 12 total points. The team has relied on these longtime All-Stars to win games before, but will continue to need complementary players to step up in order to replicate the 51-23 record posted last season.
Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper, who coached the team during its Stanley Cup Finals victories in 2020 and 2021, remains confident in his squad and emphasized the importance of patience this early on the season.
“Everybody wants to win every single game, but unfortunately, I haven’t seen a team go 82-0 yet,” Cooper said in a press conference following the Lightning’s three-game road trip. “So, you have to give realistic goals for the guys. If you can pull out more points than games, you’ll put yourself in a really good position.”
Tampa Bay has the opportunity to secure its fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title and trip to the Stanley Cup Finals this season, which would arguably solidify it as a modern day dynasty franchise.
The Lightning play next against the Ottawa Senators at home on Tuesday, Nov. 1 with puck drop at 7 p.m.
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