The Olympic Break
Tampa Bay Lightning Fan Newsletter || Week Nineteen Recap || 2025-26 NHL Season
Welcome to Bolts Breakdown! If you’re new, here’s what you can expect: game reviews, all the stats, leaders & milestones, injuries & roster updates, random findings & trends, etc…all in an easy-to-digest format. This is your one-stop-shop for everything Lightning hockey! Glad to have you, hope you enjoy.
This week is a little different, though! I’ll give you a comprehensive update on all things Olympics, then provide a year-by-year comparison between this year’s Lightning team & several years past, finishing with highlights & trivia!
Let’s begin!
The Tampa Bay Lightning (and the entire NHL) are currently on a 17-day, league-mandated break. The NHL, for the first time in 12 years, sent players to compete in the Winter Olympics, sending 148 players in total to Milan, Italy.
There’s over 700 players in the NHL, though; so, what do the close-to-600 other NHL players do during this break? Here’s what Jon Cooper said regarding his hopes for the Lightning players not at the Olympics:
“Get away, digest. Get away from the game. They’ve done a heck of a job. And, it’s a grind, to finish this out & hopefully secure a playoff spot. Then, it gets even tougher. So, get away, forget about this for 10 days, and come back rejuvenated.”
The Lightning have put themselves in a fabulous position in the standings. They have earned 78 points through 55 games and have 27 games remaining, leading the last team currently in a playoff position, the Boston Bruins with 69 points, by 9 points. The Lightning would need to drastically fall apart to forfeit their playoff spot.
Security isn’t certainty, though. As Jon Cooper indicated, the final 27 games will be a grind, especially considering 13 of the remaining games will be against Atlantic opponents, 18 against Eastern Conference teams. Each game will be high stakes against desperate opponents.
It all returns on February 23rd. The Olympics will be done and all focus will be on the NHL. The Lightning’s first game will be February 25th (at home, against the Toronto Maple Leafs).
Olympics:
The Lightning have 8 players at the Olympics (plus head coach Jon Cooper & Syracuse Crunch player Wojciech Stachowiak):
Team Canada: Brandon Hagel & Head Coach Jon Cooper
Team Denmark: Oliver Bjorkstrand
Team Germany: Wojciech Stachowiak (Syracuse Crunch)
Team Latvia: Zemgus Girgensons
Team Sweden: Victor Hedman & Pontus Holmberg
Team Switzerland: J.J. Moser
Team Slovakia: Erik Cernak
Team USA: Jake Guentzel
Schedule:
To learn about the tournament format, click here.
For now, every team remains in the Olympic tournament — no team has been eliminated. Tomorrow, though, marks the start of the elimination games. Here’s the schedule going forward:
Slovakia will face the winner of the Germany/France game (12:10).
Finland will face the winner of Switzerland/Italy (12:10)
USA will face Sweden/Latvia (21:10)
Canada will face the winner of Czechia/Denmark (16:40)
Individual Performances:
Brandon Hagel:
3 GP - 1 Goal - 4 Shots - +1
Oliver Bjorkstrand:
3 GP - 1 Assist - 8 Shots - +1
Wojciech Stachowiak:
2 GP - 1 Assist - +2
Zemgus Girgensons:
3 GP - 4 Assists - 1 Shot
Victor Hedman:
3 GP - 1 Goal - 1 Assist - 6 Shots - +/-0
Pontus Holmberg:
3 GP - 1 Shot
J.J. Moser:
3 GP - 1 Goal - 3 Assists - 4 Shots - -1
Erik Cernak:
3 GP - 2 Shots - +/-0
Jake Guentzel:
3 GP - 1 Goal - 6 Shots - +1
Year By Year Comparison:
The Lightning have had an incredible regular season, but where does it compare to years past? Let’s look at 5 major statistical categories & rank this season compared to every season since the 2013-14 season. We’ll look at power play, penalty kill, goals for per game, goals against per game, and goal differential.
At the 55 game mark, here’s where this season ranks among the last 13:
Power Play:
2023–24 — 30.4%
2018–19 — 28.7%
2024–25 — 26.9%
2022–23 — 25.4%
2019–20 — 24.4%
2017–18 — 24.1%
2020–21 — 22.9%
Current — 22.4%
2016–17 — 21.2%
2021–22 — 21.2%
2015–16 — 18.6%
2014–15 — 17.3%
2013–14 — 17.0%
Penalty Kill:
2018–19 — 84.7%
Current — 83.9%
2019–20 — 83.9%
2020–21 — 83.7%
2014–15 — 83.1%
2015–16 — 82.5%
2023–24 — 81.3%
2022–23 — 81.0%
2024–25 — 80.7%
2013–14 — 80.4%
2021–22 — 80.4%
2016–17 — 80.0%
2017–18 — 78.6%
Goals For Per Game:
2018–19 — 3.78
2019–20 — 3.58
2017–18 — 3.56
2024–25 — 3.56
Current — 3.55
2022–23 — 3.51
2021–22 — 3.45
2023–24 — 3.44
2020–21 — 3.27
2014–15 — 3.22
2013–14 — 2.84
2016–17 — 2.67
2015–16 — 2.64
Goals Against Per Game:
2015–16 — 2.40
2013–14 — 2.44
Current — 2.51
2014–15 — 2.56
2020–21 — 2.56
2017–18 — 2.60
2019–20 — 2.73
2021–22 — 2.75
2024–25 — 2.76
2018–19 — 2.78
2016–17 — 2.84
2022–23 — 2.91
2023–24 — 3.27
Goal Differential:
Current — +59
2018–19 — +58
2017–18 — +53
2019–20 — +49
2024–25 — +44
2020–21 — +38
2021–22 — +37
2014–15 — +34
2022–23 — +33
2013–14 — +25
2015–16 — +12
2023–24 — +11
2016–17 — −9
Of the last 13 seasons, this year’s
power play ranks 8th,
penalty kill 2nd,
GF/GP 5th,
GA/GP 3rd,
& Goal Differential 1st.
Highlights:
We still have 10 days till Lightning hockey returns. The Olympics are a nice past time, but if you’re craving Thunder & Lightning, check out some of my favorite highlights from this past year.
Darren Raddysh ties the game on the 6-on-5:
Andrei Vasilevskiy Goalie Fight:
Nikita Kucherov Shhhhhh:
Gage Goncalves Quick Hands:
Gage Goncalves Bank Shot To Break The Tie:
Jake Guentzel Breakaway SHG:
Ryan McDonagh Pulls Off The Kucherov:
Scott Sabourin Physicality:
Brandon Hagel Ties The Game After Trailing 3-0:
Gage Goncalves Forechecking Goal:
The Hockey World’s Greatest Highlight:
Recent Trivia:
