Sniper Nikita Kucherov is at the heart of the Lightning's success with the man advantage. He boasts a League-leading 36 points when Tampa Bay is up a man.
"He's just a good player, a smart player. When the puck's on his stick, he's a very dangerous player. That's his strength," explained Julien, on one of Jon Cooper's many offensive weapons. "You just have to look at his stats to see that stuff. If we play the right way, we keep him playing in his own end. That's to our advantage."
It won't be easy, of course, but Julien is hoping that his group can channel some of the positives they took away from the previous meeting with the Lighting on December 29 - a 6-5 loss in the Sunshine State.
"We're going up against the best team in the League right now. They're very talented offensively. That's why we have to skate if we want to match them," explained Julien. "That's what we did the last time we were here. We skated well and we played well. We have to bring that type of game tonight."
Thompson returns to Tampa
Newcomer Nate Thompson sported the Lightning's colors for 305 games between the 2009-10 and 2013-14 campaigns, so he knows exactly what they're capable of when they're firing on all cylinders.
In his mind, Tampa Bay's success in recent years stems not only from their immense talent up and down the roster, but from a sense of familiarity amongst the group.
"I think a lot of guys have played together for a long time, some guys have played in the minors together and come up together," said Thompson. "They can roll four lines. If you shut down one line or two lines, usually another line will get you, too. Against a team like this you have to play a full 60 minutes."
