What's even more remarkable about Tampa Bay's special teams prowess is the Lightning have been without two of their top penalty killers for an extended stretch in Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman, who both have missed nearly the entire month of March as they recover from lower-body injuries. Stralman ranks second on the Lightning for average shorthanded time on ice per game (2:58). Girardi ranks fifth (2:15). And yet, the Lightning haven't missed a beat on the penalty kill in their absence.
"Different guys have gotten some looks there for sure," said Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who leads the team for average shorthanded time on ice (3:10) and ranks 10th overall in the League. "It's a good sign. All the defensemen are in the meetings there no matter what, if you play it or not if we're fully healthy. Everybody should be familiar with where we're supposed to be positionally and what we're trying to do execution-wise. It's a good sign that guys that might not have been getting looks early in the year or not too many looks throughout the season are stepping up and able to play effective in that role."
McDonagh undoubtedly has gotten the bulk of the shorthanded minutes among defensemen with Girardi and Stralman sidelined. But others have stepped up too. Rookie blueliner Erik Cernak has averaged 3:25 shorthanded time on ice in the absence of Girardi and Stralman, well above his season average of 2:21. Victor Hedman has also filled in, going from 2:07 shorthanded time on ice per game to 2:39.
"I think (Cernak's) been a big reason our penalty kill's been much improved," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "We've kind of risen to the top and have one of the best goals against, he's a big part of that."
That's one of the more remarkable aspects of this Tampa Bay Lightning team: someone goes down to injury, another player steps right in and the team somehow doesn't miss a beat.
"I think it just goes to show how deep we are, guys just kind of step in and take on bigger roles," said Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli, who, despite his rookie status, leads all NHL forwards for cumulative shorthanded time on ice (210:50). "Every player that's been playing for us has had a role and has helped us succeed. I think we just kind of have that mentality to keep going, keep going and good things happen."
The Lightning penalty kill will be tested greatly once again tonight. The Bolts host the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin's deadly left circle one-timer tonight at AMALIE Arena, the final home game of the regular season for Tampa Bay. The Lightning can set a franchise record for most home wins in a season. They currently have 32 this season, matching the total they put up in 2014-15.
