Nov 3, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Linesman Derek Nansen (70) drops the puck on a face-off with Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) and Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov (7) in the second period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Lightning have reached the point where they need to get back on track.
The Lightning, who are on a losing streak and have lost four games (0-3-1), have not played since last Thursday’s 2-1 shootout loss to Philadelphia. They will continue their three-game home series on Thursday when they take on the NHL’s top club, the Winnipeg Jets, to finish the season series.
While most coaches would view a week-long break early in the season as a detriment to a budding routine, it was thought to be an opportune time for the Lightning to bring back Brayden Point and re-center the top line.
Injured in Winnipeg on Nov. 3 after playing just six shifts, Point would be a welcome addition as the Atlantic Division’s fifth-place team tries to regain its footing.
However, the Lightning called up Gage Goncalves on Wednesday morning and Point did not practice, putting his return in doubt. Goncalves, 23, has played in place of the first-line center in the last two games.
Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak, injured while blocking a shot, has been skating with the starters and appears to be on the verge of returning, but all eyes have been on Point’s reintegration into the lineup.
The 28-year-old Calgary native ranks second on the club with eight goals and is tied for third in points with 13. He leads forwards at +9 and has scored five power play goals, the most of the club, while it is in first place in the top unit.
“The first thing we have to do is bounce back,” said coach Jon Cooper, whose team is winless in November. “There are players in our lineup that are playing and fighting through difficulties just to play… It will probably be a little reset for us.”
Winnipeg’s 7-4 win over the Lightning nearly two weeks ago was the third in a league-high seven-game winning streak, and nothing the opposition has done so far has worked to keep the Jets firmly planted on the runway.
The NHL’s best team for about a sixth of the season has only suffered one loss (a 6-4 home loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 28) and unsurprisingly leads the league with a goal difference of plus-39.
The Central Division club’s incredible 7-0-0 road streak continued in the Big Apple on Tuesday night as the three-game trip began with a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers.
However, the rearguard suffered its first blow this season when Logan Stanley was left behind in Winnipeg due to injury. Coach Scott Arniel detailed the ailment, saying the 6-foot-7, 231-pound defenseman has a “half-body” injury.
“I felt like it was time to stop,” Arniel said. “He’s playing through a lot of pain. We’ll see how he is when we get home.”
Haydn Fleury replaced Stanley and skated 13:18, Mark Scheifele set the tone with the first of his two goals in the first minute and Kyle Connor added a pair as the Jets beat the Rangers and won for the 15th time in 16 games.
“We had a lot of comebacks and got a lot of wins as we closed out the third (period),” forward Mason Appleton said.
–Field level media
