Lightning vs. Coyotes: Projected lines, injuries and storylines

The Lightning's swing through the Western Conference continues as they take on the Coyotes in Arizona. The four-game trip started off well for the Bolts with a 3-0 shutout of the Blues on Tuesday. Arizona is returning home after a winless four-game trip.

Lines from Thursday's morning skate. Subject to change.
Forwards
Vladislav Namestnikov - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat - Brayden Point - Tyler Johnson
Alex Killorn - Yanni Gourde - Cory Conacher
Chris Kunitz - Cedric Paquette - Ryan Callahan
Defenseman
Victor Hedman - Jake Dotchin
Mikhail Sergachev - Anton Stralman
Slater Koekkoek - Dan Girardi
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy expected to start
Thursday's Matchup
Tonight's game is the fourth in a stretch of six straight versus Western Conference foes...The Lightning and the Coyotes are playing their first of two meetings this season and the only one at Gila River Arena...Arizona swept the Lightning last season, winning both games 5-3...Prior to last season, the Bolts had won four in a row in the series...Tampa Bay is 5-2-0 in its last seven visits to Arizona...The Lightning are 11-9-0 all-time in Arizona...Dan Girardi has scored five goals in 15 career games against the Coyotes for his highest goals per game (.333) average against any NHL team...Ondrej Palat is on a three-game point streak (2-2--4) against Arizona...Nikita Kucherov has five goals in five career games vs. Arizona for his highest goals per game average (1.00) against any team...Vladislav Namestnikov is on a two-game goal streak against Arizona...Steven Stamkos is on a four-game point streak (2-2--4) vs. the Coyotes.
Thursday's Storylines
The Lightning regained sole possession of first place in the NHL following Tuesday's win in St. Louis and pace the League for wins (22), points (46), ROW (21), points percentage (.767), goals (112) and goal differential (+39)...Tampa Bay is off to its best start in franchise history with 46 points through 30 games, five points better than the 41 points put up by the 2014-15 team (19-8-3) through 30 games...The Lightning lead the NHL for goals per game (3.73) and rank third for goals against per game (2.43) and are the only League team in the top six in both categories...The Bolts can establish a new season high for consecutive wins and match their third-longest win streak in franchise history with a victory tonight (Tampa Bay last won 6 in a row Feb. 18 to March 5, 2016 during a franchise record nine-game win streak).
Injuries
2017-18 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 32
Current injuries
Braydon Coburn - Lower body (DAY-TO-DAY) 5 Games
Ryan Callahan - Undiscosed (DAY-TO-DAY) 1 Game
Transactions
Dec. 8 - Re-assigned D Jamie McBain to AHL Syracuse
Andrei the Giant
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 32 shots he faced Dec. 12 at STL to record his third shutout of the season and seventh career shutout...In the process, Vasilevskiy established a new career high for shutouts in a season...Vasilevskiy ranks tied for second in the NHL for shutouts...Vasilevskiy collected his NHL-best 20th win on Tuesday.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Vasilevskiy became the sixth goalie in NHL history to reach the 20-win mark within his first 25 appearances of the season, joining BOS's Tiny Thompson (23 GP in 1929-30), OTT's Andrew Hammond (24 GP in 2014-15), MTL's Bill Durnan (25 GP in 1943-44), PHI's Pete Peeters (25 GP in 1979-80) and WSH's Braden Holtby (25 GP in 2015-16); three of the aforementioned five goalies went on to win the Vezina Trophy that season...Vasilevskiy has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of his last 12 starts and 16 of 25 overall...Vasilevskiy ranks second in the NHL for goals-against average (2.15) and tied for second for save percentage (.933)...Vasilevskiy is 8-0-0 against Western Conference teams this season...Since the trade that sent Ben Bishop to Los Angeles last season (2/26/17), Vasilevskiy is 32-8-3, the 32 wins ranking first in the NHL over that stretch.
In the Nik of Time
Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov netted his team-best 21st goal of the season Dec. 12 at STL to give him a goal in two-consecutive games and 18 of 30 games this season...Kucherov pulled into a tie for the NHL goal lead.
Kucherov's 21 goals are tied for the second most through the first 30 team games in Lightning history, trailing only Steven Stamkos' 24 goals through 30 team games in 2010-11...Kucherov recorded his 42nd point of the season on Tuesday and moved into a tie with teammate Steven Stamkos for the NHL scoring lead.
Over the last two seasons, Kucherov leads the NHL for goals with 61 (second: PIT's Sidney Crosby - 57) and ranks second for scoring with 127 points (first: EDM's Connor McDavid - 139).