Perbix Making an Impression:Rookie defenseman Nick Perbix had been with the Lightning throughout training camp and was the final player reassigned prior to the start of the regular season. But he didn't stay in the minors very long. By the fourth game, he was back up with the Lightning.
Since his recall, Perbix has played every game and been paired with Mikhail Sergachev. In those six contests, he's played over 17 minutes twice and was at 16:59 in one other game. He's coming off a high of 17:39 in Saturday's victory at San Jose. Virtually all of his time on ice this season has occurred during even-strength action. These ice time numbers show he has earned the trust of the coaching staff.
While it's true that Perbix is in his first professional season, he's 24 years old. So he's older than many other rookies. He spent four years at St. Cloud State and was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team last winter. Clearly, those experiences have served him well.
Hagel with Point and Kucherov:One of the questions posed in that season-opening column was one Jon Cooper stated himself in a conversation with John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times. Who Will Fill In the Blanks? Meaning how would the Lightning fill the holes left by departing players?
The team spent the first few games of the regular season experimenting with different line combinations. But as the month progressed, there was less shuffling.
Brandon Hagel has been playing with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Over the past four games, he's accumulated three goals and three assists. Two of those points came when he was on the ice with the second power play unit, but there's no question he has meshed well with his new linemates. Not only have they teamed up for important goals, including the game-winner against the Sharks in the final minute of regulation, they've created numerous scoring chances.
Cooper often tinkers with his lines throughout a season, even when the combos are well-established. So there may be some additional movement. But he now knows that Hagel-Point-Kucherov can be a productive option.
Eastern Conference Logjam: Citing improvements from many of last year's non-playoff teams, many hockey pundits expected the Eastern Conference race to be tighter this season. Though the first three weeks of the regular season, it has been.
The Boston Bruins have gotten off to a fast start, winning eight of their first nine games. At the bottom of the Conference standings is Columbus, with a record of 3-7-0. The other 14 teams are separated by just four points.
This shows why the Lightning's recovery from the 1-3-0 start was important. Not only did they come out of the month with an above .500 record, they managed to keep pace with the rest of the pack in the East.
The season is still in its early days and this Conference-wide logjam may loosen in the coming weeks. But it is notable that nearly every Eastern team has managed to avoid a truly bad start.
