Vegas Golden Knights Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Storylines

Buckle up because a hellish month really starts now as the Vegas Golden Knights get set to tackle a tough schedule, starting by taking on the surging Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the ninth toughest remaining schedule in the NHL, the hard work starts now for the Vegas Golden Knights who must unlock their potential now or risk suffering ultimate disappointment come April.

They are going to have their work cut out for them given their remaining schedule, including a jaw-dropping February which could be make or break for the Knights.

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And it starts later today against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that has really found their groove as of late, finally becoming the sort of all-conquering juggernaut they were last year.

So, on that note, let’s delve into some storylines prior to today’s showdown at Amalie Arena between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Tampa Bay Lightning…

Storyline 1 – Surging Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are absolutely rolling right now.

After a sluggish start and some fears that maybe the wheels had really come off, the Lightning have woken up with an almighty spring in their step.

They are 15-2-1 in their past 18 games and are really starting to stamp their authority on the rest of the NHL right now.

Also, Tampa Bay are 8-0-0 against Pacific Division teams this year, while they have also won 11 in a row over teams from the Pacific.

They have won six straight at Amalie Arena and today’s game is their first on home ice in 21 days, so the Lightning will no doubt be motivated to go out and put on a show for their fans.

All in all, the Tampa Bay Lightning are a dangerous monster and they will provide the Vegas Golden Knights with a real litmus test.

Storyline 2 – Lightning Stars Striking

Part of Tampa Bay’s success has been the performance of some of their big guns, including Nikita Kucherov.

Fresh off a historic year in 2018-19, where the Russian stud led the entire NHL with a whopping 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists), Kucherov struggled to hit those same heights during the early stages of this year.

However, the wing has started to put it all together now and, heading into today’s contest, Kucherov leads the Lightning with 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists), with 20 of those points coming on the power play.

Kucherov has been helped by Steven Stamkos who has recorded 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points, while elite defenseman Victor Hedman is fourth on the team in points with 42 (nine goals, 33 assists).

Tampa Bay also get contributions from up and down their lineup with 10 players having recorded 25 or more points this year, which is pretty impressive.

They also get elite goaltending with Andrei Vasilevskiy 26-9-3 this year with a 2.55 Goals Against Average and a .917 Save Percentage.

Storyline 3 – Special Teams Battle

Not only do the Tampa Bay Lightning score a lot of goals – they rank 5th in Goals For Per Game (3.58) – they also excel on special teams.

Take the power play, for example. The Lightning are currently converting on the man advantage at a clip of 25.3, ranked 3rd in the National Hockey League.

They are just as good as the penalty kill, operating at a 83.6 clip which is ranked 4th in the NHL.

It sets up a fascinating battle given that the Golden Knights are ranked 9th on the power play (21.6), while they have the 17th best penalty kill in the league (79.8).

Now, what is interesting is the fact that the Knights are drastically improved on the PK under Peter DeBoer, including going a perfect 5-for-5 against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

However, special teams will have to be at the peak of their powers for Vegas today in order to crack what is an elite Tampa Bay Lightning team in all aspects.

Storyline 4 – Good omen?

There is some hope for the Vegas Golden Knights heading into today’s showdown.

For starters, they have never lost at Amalie Arena in franchise history while they are 3-1-0 all-time against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

That should certainly fill the Knights with confidence ahead of today’s contest, while they are also riding some momentum after winning consecutive games coming out of the bye.

They are 2-0-0 on this current road trip and now is a good time as ever to take down the red hot Lightning.

After all, the Golden Knights are starting to show improvements under new Head Coach Peter DeBoer and they playing arguably some of their best hockey of the year, so today is the perfect time to pull off a statement win.

And it would be one hell of a statement.

Storyline 5 – Stick with your guns

Vegas Head Coach Peter DeBoer will roll out the same lineup today, meaning that Marc-Andre Fleury will go in net again.

It makes sense given that Fleury secured a shutout against the Nashville Predators on Saturday with a 19-save performance, while the rest of the team played a real complete game.

From a more organized approach to a better transition game, the Golden Knights are starting to buy into what DeBoer is selling and it will be intriguing to see how that continues to play out against the Tampa Bay Lightning today.