The Lightning are currently on pace to finish the season with 127 points. Only four teams in NHL history have posted more than 125 points in a season, and the last team to do so was the Detroit Red Wings all the way back in 1995-96.
"I think part of it is we want to improve every single night," Yanni Gourde said. "I think even if we win by two, we win by six, we look at the tape the next day, we're going to try to improve, we're going to see which aspects we have to be better at. I think that's what makes this team so good is kind of our desire of getting better every single night. I think it's in all of us. I think it's something the organization probably taught us…We want to get better, and I think that's a big, big part of it."
A look at Tampa Bay's rankings in various statistical categories sheds light on how this team has been piling up points in historic fashion. The Lightning are first in the NHL for goals per game (3.88). They're fifth for goals allowed per game (2.72) and improving. The Bolts own the top power-play unit in the League at 29.8 percent, a power-play success rate that would rank fourth all-time in the NHL if the season concluded today. The penalty kill, a sore subject for the Bolts in 2017-18, has been one of this season's biggest success stories, ranking third in the League (84.4%) and just four-tenths of a point behind League-leader Arizona (84.8%).
There's nothing, it seems, this Lightning team doesn't do well.
"From the goaltenders out, our depth is one of our strongest assets, and I think that we've found a way for everybody in the lineup to contribute this year," J.T. Miller said. "I think that's really hard to play against if you're the other team. Every line can skate and move the puck up the ice and play fast, like over the course of a game, it's wearing on the opponent. It's been a lot of games so far. Obviously, we're in a tough stretch now, so every game's important and facing another good team tonight and a lot of desperate teams we're going to be playing against in the near future. It's going to be a good test for us."
Tampa Bay will attempt to complete a perfect homestand when it hosts the Montreal Canadiens tonight at AMALIE Arena. The Lightning are on a four-game win streak and have earned points in eight-consecutive games. Maybe the most impressive stat of the season, however, is the Bolts' response when things don't go their way. The Lightning have yet to lose more than two games in a row this season, an ability to stop a losing skid before it starts that was a hallmark of the 2014-15 squad that advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.