But at morning skate Saturday ahead of Tampa Bay's home contest against the San Jose Sharks -- the start of a four-game home stand at AMALIE Arena for the Lightning -- the top line had been split up. Tyler Johnson moved up to the right wing along Namestnikov and Stamkos. Kucherov slotted into the right wing on a line with Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. And Yanni Gourde centered a third line with Alex Killorn to his left and Cory Conacher, recalled Friday from AHL Syracuse, on his right.
Saturday's new lines were a continuation of the line juggling we've seen from the Lightning over the past couple days. During Friday's practice at the Ice Sports Forum, the Lightning showed a few different forward combinations over the course of the two hour training session. Toward the end of the Bolts' 3-2 loss in Boston, the Lightning experimented with different line combinations to spark a moribund offense.
"I think we got a little stagnant in the way we were playing, so I think we had to change a little bit," Johnson said following Friday's practice. "Once we started some rotations and changing things up, we started finding a little bit of a groove and things got a little bit easier. That's what you kind of do, you try to get some sparks any way you can and that's how we were able to find a little bit."
The Lightning were the NHL's most prolific offensive team through the first quarter of the season but have seen their goal output dwindle of late, especially amongst the forwards. Tampa Bay forwards haven't scored a 5-on-5 goal in the last two games and have just one in the previous four contests, that coming from Conacher during in his first recall stint with the Lightning.
Others have stepped up in the forwards' offensive absence. Andrej Sustr scored his first goal of the season in the Boston loss. In a 2-0 win in Buffalo, Mikhail Sergachev and Dan Girardi were the goal scorers for the Bolts, Girardi also lighting the lamp for the first time this season.
The power play, too, has been particularly effective for Tampa Bay, scoring at least one goal in five-straight games and 10 of the last 11 contests.
But for the Lightning to regain the mojo they had early in the season, they need their forward group to contribute at 5-on-5 play, hence the need to shake up the lines.
"You've got to try new things when things aren't working," Stamkos said. "We'll see how that goes tonight. A lot of guys played with different line combinations toward the end of the Boston game, so everyone's familiar with each other in this room. We've played with all these guys for a long time and have developed chemistry here and there with certain guys. If things aren't going well, especially offensively, we've got to find something that works."
No matter which player is on what line, one factor is constant: The Lightning must play with the urgency and desperation they showed through the first 20-plus games of the season to find success both on the score sheet and in the win column.
"Hopefully a little home cooking can do us well," Stamkos said. "We had a rough trip obviously but just get back to being a motivated hockey team and not just relying on the fact we have a lot of skill in this room. Get back to playing with a little bit of fire and the little bit of edge we had at the beginning of the year that allowed our speed and skill to take over games."
COBURN DAY-TO-DAY:Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and didn't make an appearance at Friday's practice or Saturday's morning skate and is likely out for the game against the Sharks. With Coburn doubtful and Jake Dotchin (day-to-day with an undisclosed injury) also not participating at either practice, the Lightning recalled Jamie McBain from Syracuse to bolster the back end.
McBain would be making his 2017-18 NHL debut if he were inserted into the Bolts' lineup against San Jose, but he has 348 games of NHL experience and currently leads all Crunch defensemen in points (3-8-11), assists and plus/minus (+6).
