Pontus Holmberg’s career night might have opened up another option near the top of the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup as they prepare for Saturday’s 2 p.m. ET matchup with the Nashville Predators.
Holmberg made the most of a new opportunity on Thursday, playing alongside Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli and finishing with a career-high four points in a 6-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
It was the first time Holmberg played on the flank of the usual 38 and 71 combination, and it went about as well as the team could have hoped.
“Tony and Hags have had tremendous starts to the year. I think pucks have gone in the net on them a little bit more than it usually has in years past, and I thought Holmy could bring an element of, he's a puck control guy,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of trying Holmberg in that spot.
“He plays that defensive side, and I know he had four points tonight, but he's really excelled at the other side of the ice and I wanted to see how it would fit. And it worked out pretty darn well.”
With the Lightning leading the Jets 2-1, Holmberg helped further the home team’s lead with a three-assist second period—including the primary helper on a power-play goal for Cirelli.
The middle frame ended shortly after Holmberg forced an offensive zone turnover, creating a 2-on-1 at the net for Cirelli and Hagel that the latter buried to make it 5-1.
“He's a Swiss Army knife,” Hagel said of Holmberg. “You can put him anywhere. If you need him to produce, he'll produce, and if you need him to shut down, he'll shut down. So strong on the puck. He's probably one of the best adds we've had in a long time, and I’m happy he's on our team.”
Holmberg capped his night with an empty-net goal in the final minutes of Thursday’s win. His four-point performance was a career high in the NHL.
He now has four goals and 10 points in 12 games this season. Despite Holmberg being known more for his defensive ability and puck possession, Hagel isn’t surprised to see the offensive production early this season.
“Those are the type of players you want on your team, a player that's going to accept their role and be really good at it. I think that's what he's done. Over the last couple of years, he's been put in that defensive role and he's done one heck of a job at it. And then this year, every time he's got that opportunity, you can tell he's worked on his offensive side,” Hagel said.
… “He's always had that offensive side to him, but he wanted to have a role on this team, and he really took that to heart and ran with it. Those are the type of guys you want on your team. You're not going to find many of those in the league, and to have him on our team, I can't say enough good things about him as a player.”
Opportunity and offense
Holmberg’s four-point night led the Lightning to their latest win. Cirelli and Hagel each finished with three-point nights of their own, and that line combination is likely to share the ice again on Saturday in Nashville.
Holmberg’s fit with Hagel and Cirelli was natural, helped by the similarities in their approach to every shift.
Hagel compared the Swedish forward’s play style to Cirelli’s blend of defense and offense—those similarities were evident on the 4-1 goal, when Holmberg prevented a breakout by forcing a turnover and his line scored mere seconds later.
“I think when Tony came into the league, he had that defensive mindset. He's always had that offensive skill, and Tony's really brought that out obviously over the last few years. And I think Holmy’s done the exact same thing.
“Now it's showing he's always had it. That just doesn't pop out of nowhere. He's getting more confident. He’s a Swiss Army knife. You ask him to do whatever, and he's gonna do it.”
The Lightning signed Holmberg to a two-year deal on the first day of free agency last July. He went on to establish career highs in games played (70), goals (11), points (22) and time on ice per game (13:21) during his first season with the team in 2025-26.
He quickly became a mainstay on a shutdown line with Yanni Gourde and Zemgus Girgensons a season ago before being injured late in the season, and his absence was felt during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Since returning for training camp, he’s back to full form.
“I think I’ve just kept going from last season,” Holmberg said. “It was pretty good last season too, so it’s just keep going with that game.”
Gourde continues to recover from offseason surgery and Girgensons is currently out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so Holmberg finds himself in a new spot alongside Hagel and Cirelli.
It’s too early to tell after just one game whether it’s a longterm fit. But the trio is off to quite the start together, and similar chances for Holmberg could be on the way as soon as Saturday.
“He has the puck a lot because it's really hard to take it away from him,” Cooper said of Holmberg, “but he puts himself in these types of spots. Things are going in for him, but he's making his own breaks. At some point when you're going to do that, they are going to go in. He's a prototypical 200-foot player, both ends of the ice, and I'm glad. He deserved this to get these points.”
