Burns: 3 Things we learned from the Lightning overwhelming the Coyotes

The Tampa Bay Lightning are reaching uncharted territory as they continue to pile up wins in 2017-18.
Following a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday, the Lightning are off to their best start in franchise history with 48 points through 31 games, seven more than the previous record of 41 points through 31 games set during the 2014-15 Stanley Cup Final season.

The Bolts won their sixth-consecutive game after downing the Coyotes for their longest win streak of the season. The current win streak is tied for the third longest in franchise history.
Tampa Bay remains the best team in the NHL, owning a three-point advantage over Nashville and St. Louis. The Lightning are in front of Toronto, Columbus and Washington for first place in the Eastern Conference by seven points.
Suffice to say, 2017-18 is shaping up to be a special season for the Bolts.
Tampa Bay will go for consecutive win No. 7 on Saturday when it takes on the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.
But before moving on to the Mile High City, let's recap another Lightning win in Three Things we learned from overwhelming Arizona.

1. PLAYING WITH DESPERATION
The Lightning missed out on the playoffs last season by one point.
They went 1-5-0 against the three teams with the worst record in the NHL, including going 0-for-2 against the lowly Arizona Coyotes.
Had Tampa Bay been able to knock off the Coyotes just one time last season, the Lightning probably would have qualified for the postseason. And as hot as the Bolts were playing down the stretch, it's hard to tell just how far they could have gone in the playoffs.
The Lightning were reminded by the coaching staff of that fact leading up to Thursday's game in Arizona, and no doubt the bitter taste from letting a potential playoff run slip away because of unfocused play against the NHL's basement dwellers was a motivating factor versus the Coyotes.
"When you miss the playoffs by a point, you start looking for answers," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "What were games we could have won but couldn't? When we went down the stretch last year, we had a 3-2 lead last year against these guys in our building and ended up losing the game. We look back at the game and think maybe that was the one that cost us the playoffs. Our locker room was well aware of that."
Tampa Bay started its game in Arizona with the same level of desperation it showed two nights earlier in St. Louis against the Western Conference's best team. The Lightning jumped on the Coyotes early and were rewarded when Vladislav Namestnikov netted a power-play marker midway through the first period.
Just 41 seconds later, Brayden Point pushed the Bolts lead to 2-0 after converting a breakaway by lifting a backhander past Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta.
The early lead demoralized the young Coyotes, and the Lightning were able to cruise to their second victory in two games on the current road trip.
"We had a great first period, scored two big goals," Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. "They're a young, skilled team. They had their opportunities, but (Andrei Vasilevskiy) made some big saves for us. We capitalized on our opportunities and created a lot of opportunities for ourselves. Obviously, a good feeling coming out of this building compared to last year."

2. THE SILENT PARTNER
Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov draw all of the attention on Tampa Bay's power play and for good reason. Stamkos is tied for third in the NHL for power-play goals with eight, and Kucherov in the right circle is as dangerous an option as there is in the League.
But, quietly, Vladislav Namestnikov has been just as productive on the power play without any of the fanfare.
While Kucherov sets up in the right circle and Stamkos stands in the left, Namestnikov lurks down low to facilitate play behind the net, look for tips in front and clean up any rebounds.
In Arizona, Namestnikov again proved his value on the Lightning power play. After Raanta made a phenomenal stop to deny a Stamkos one-timer, Namestnikov was on the edge of the crease to slam home the rebound.
Namestnikov now owns seven power-play goals, just one behind Stamkos for the team lead and tied for fourth overall in the NHL.
Namestnikov also ranks third on the Lightning for all goals and fourth for scoring.
The 25-year-old forward gets overlooked at times because of the phenomenal production by Stamkos and Kucherov.
But his under-the-radar play is an important element to the Lightning's fast start to the season.
3. CALLAHAN LEAVES EARLY
Ryan Callahan missed Tampa Bay's victory in St. Louis on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, just the second game this season he hasn't played, but was back in the Bolts' lineup two days later in Arizona.
Callahan had an impact in the game throughout his time on the Gila River Arena ice, tying a season high with five shots and nearly scoring his second goal of the season if not for an early whistle on a puck the officials thought was trapped under Raanta but was still loose.
But early in the third period, Callahan took a nasty spill behind the Coyotes' goal with Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The two players got tangled up chasing down a loose puck. Ekman-Larsson started to fall down into the boards and grabbed Callahan's arm, taking the Lightning forward down with him.
Callahan seemed to be in serious pain after finally rising to his feet. He grabbed at his right arm as he skated off under his own power and headed back to the locker room. He didn't return to the game.
"He was phenomenal tonight," Hedman said. "He should have had that goal. They were a little quick with the whistle. You feel so bad for him. He's battled hard throughout the whole year. He's such an important player for us. Him, Ceddy and Kunitz have been playing unbelievable for us, giving us energy every night. Hopefully, he'll get back soon."
Cooper didn't have an update on Callahan following the game but hoped to know more on Wednesday.
Callahan missed 64 games last season after a hip issue required surgery in the offseason and a second surgical procedure in February.
"Heart and soul kind of guy who works so hard," Bolts forward Brayden Point said. "Hopefully he's alright, but tough to see for sure."