Since February 9, the Bolts have experimented with putting Ondrej Palat in the right circle occupied by Kucherov in previous seasons and moving Brayden Point into the bumper spot. Point had been in the right circle throughout training camp and when the regular season began, serving as the power play's facilitator from that spot. Palat was used in the bumper position or down around the goal line previously. The Lightning scored seven goals on 35 power play opportunities for a 20 percent success rate, tied for 16th in the NHL, through the first month of the season.
Using the new alignment with Palat in the right circle and Point playing the bumper position for the first time February 9 at home against the Nashville Predators, the Lightning went 3-for-5 on the power play, Palat, Steven Stamkos and Mathieu Joseph each tallying. The power play connected for two more goals a couple nights later in a 5-2 loss at Florida.
Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern, who is responsible for the power play, said the move to put Palat in the right circle and Point in the bumper was, in part, to have the threat of a one-timer coming from the right side. Teams know Steven Stamkos is looking for the one-timer from his office in the left circle. Having another option on the right in the left-handed Palat opens the ice for everybody.
"I liked a lot of the looks we got with Pointer (in the right circle). I just think that with a lefty on that side and a righty [Point] in the middle, it's more natural or consistent for what we've done the last two years or even before that, the last several years," Halpern said. "And so, with Victor being a lefty and not being a one-time option from that side, you almost need a one-timer coming back from that side. I think that's opened us up."
Since February 9, the Lightning have scored 10 power-play goals in 28 opportunities, a 35.7 percent success rate that ranks second in the NHL over that stretch (only the New York Islanders at 40 percent are better). After that initial surge from making the switch, the power play slumped for two games but has since scored four power-play goals over the last four contests. Mixed in the last four games, however, was a 0-for-5 performance against Carolina where the power play was as disjoined as its been all season, the Lightning continuing to iron out the kinks in the setup.
"That's not to say that it's set in stone who's in what spot or what hand you need there," Halpern said of the new alignment. "I think when we did make that change we scored a bunch a goals. We didn't do well for a stretch there. And so, it's a work in progress with all those guys, but I think every time somebody's gone into (the right circle), whether it's Pointer or Pally, we've been able to generate new ways of scoring in ways that Kuch was able to do in the past."
For the season, the Lightning are connecting on 27 percent of their power plays, ranking seventh in the NHL. Combined with a penalty kill that's second in the League at 88.1 percent, Tampa Bay has one of the best all-around special teams groups in the NHL.
The Lightning are having success with both power-play units too. While Stamkos and Palat have combined for the majority of the Bolts' power-play goals, scoring 10 of the team's 17 markers, each ranking tied for sixth in the NHL among power-play goal scorers, the second unit has seen five different players tallying on the power play too, meaning opposing penalty kills can't rest when they see Stamkos, Hedman and Point heading to the bench.
Inevitably, there's bound to be dry stretches for the Lightning power play, even in its current format. And the coaching staff figures to continue tinkering throughout the season to produce the right combinations with Kucherov gone through at least the regular season.
But, for now, the Lightning like their new setup on the power play, and the results have given them a leg up in the special teams battle against nearly every opponent on a nightly basis.
