‘Simplified’: Lightning power play clicks with shooting mentality

The Tampa Bay Lightning power play is starting to click, with its momentum driven by contributions from multiple players and a shoot-to-create mentality.

After beginning the season 2 for 27, Tampa Bay’s power play is gaining traction. The Lightning have scored on the power play in four straight games, their longest run this season.

“I truly believe that there were times earlier in the year we weren't scoring and our power play deserved a better fate,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “I think now it's coming around, and maybe we're getting some of these blue-collar goals on the PP, which yes, you like. I don't think we're fully in sync yet. I think it’s been a bit of a work in progress.”

“We've moved some guys around,” Cooper continued, “and I think teams’ penalty kills are different. It takes a little bit of time to navigate around and get your rhythm. But when the pucks start going in, I think it gives the guys a little bit more of a confidence boost. So, hopefully we can just keep going from there.”

The power play converted on 7.4% of its chances to open this season, and the players acknowledged a need to improve. That improvement has begun to show, with the Lightning clicking at 30.8% on the man advantage over the past four games.

Tampa Bay can extend its streak to five games with a power-play goal in tonight’s game against Winnipeg. That would be the organization’s longest run in nearly two years, when the team scored eight power-play goals over a six-game streak from Nov. 25 to Dec. 8, 2024.

The power play looks simpler lately, featuring less boundary passing and more of a shooter’s mentality.

“If you look at how we've scored them, the success of it is actually pretty simple,” Lightning assistant coach Rob Zettler said. “It hasn't been seam pass, seam pass, boom, open net. It's more like we're getting it back, we’re pounding the puck towards the net.”

Zettler referenced Point’s rebound goal against the Mammoth on Saturday as an example.

"It's not necessarily pretty goals, but we're starting to get a little bit more traffic around the net. Instead of being on the perimeter, we're getting more pucks to the net, whether that's a slapper from the top or a Kucherov shot from the flank,” Zettler said. “I think the mentality is that when things aren't going well, you simplify. I think at the end of the day, we've simplified it a little bit and had a little bit of success.”

That simplified approach has also allowed Tampa Bay to keep producing while trying a number of power play looks.

Tampa Bay has utilized different setups on both man advantage groups this season, as recently as this past weekend’s Western Conference back-to-back.

John Carlson has quarterbacked the top unit for much of this season, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous has seen recent success in that spot, too. 

The team on Saturday also tested a two-defenseman power play with both D'Astous and Carlson, which shared the ice for Point’s goal on the man advantage Saturday. 

“I've been playing power play my whole life almost, so I know what to do and I've been watching,” D’Astous said. “Like last year, it was (Darren Raddysh). I've been watching them for so long, so I know where to go and what to do a little bit, and I think it's gonna get better."

The Lightning have mixed and matched power-play looks throughout the season, rotating players into different positions.

Setups have been fluid, but recent results have improved. That flexibility has helped as the Lightning aim to solidify its power play groups.

“You want to have your unit set…I'd rather us get in a rhythm and have the guys in sync,” Cooper said. “You get down into the shortened preseason and you're trying to find your way in the regular season, but I think now we're 11 games in. We've got a pretty good gauge on things, and we should be finding our groove here soon.”

Kucherov leads the team in power-play scoring with five points, followed by Guentzel’s four power-play points. The latter is the only Bolt with multiple power-play goals this season.

The recent success has been a group effort, one showcasing different setups and players. As the Lightning aim to make their power play growth the norm, the plan is to keep it simple tonight against the Jets.

“Opportunity comes from rebounds, and when there’s a scramble mode a little bit with puck retrieval, that's when the lanes open,” D’Astous said. “So I think just by shooting the puck, it helps a lot….Kuch has got a couple shots, I’ve shot a couple times and then Haggy or Pointer on the other side too. All of us, we're trying to attack the net and not just pass around.”