FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 27
- F Anton Lundell | Games Missed: 3
- D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 2
- F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 2
- G Spencer Knight | Games Missed: 1
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 62
LAST GAME
Panthers 5, Red Wings 1 – Dec. 8 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Tierney (1), Luostarinen (7), Mahura (3), Kiersted (1), Tkachuk (13)
DET Goals: Berggren (4-PPG)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 19 Saves
DET Goalie: Nedeljkovic (L) – 36 Saves
FLA Shots: 41
DET Shots: 20
Notes: Florida extended its win streak against Detroit to seven games…The Panthers tallied four goals in the second period, their most in one period this season…Matthew Tkachuk recorded 2 points (1-1-2), extending his assist/point streak to four games (3-5-8)…Carter Verhaeghe skated in his 200th NHL game and posted an assist, extending his point streak to four games (3-2-5)…Chris Tierney scored his first goal of the campaign, and his first with Florida, extending his point streak to two games…Matt Kiersted tallied his first goal of the season, extending his point streak to two games…Sam Reinhart notched an assist and logged a season-high seven shots on goal…FLA PP: 0-3, FLA PK: 3-4
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 8: G Alex Lyon recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 5: F Zac Dalpe and D Matt Kiersted recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 4: F Patric Hornqvist placed on LTIR | F Chris Tierney recalled from Charlotte (AHL) on an emergency basis
PANTHERS vs. LIGHTNING
ALL-TIME vs. TBL: 73-49-10-19
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. TBL: 30-32-6-8
2022-23 vs. TBL: 0-0-1
CATS STATS
- Tonight, Brandon Montour is expected to skate in his 400th NHL game.
- Josh Mahura’s +17 even-strength goal differential tied for sixth-best among NHL skaters following games played Dec. 8.
- Nine different Panthers skaters have recorded at least 10 even-strength points this season.
- Eric Staal has produced 75 points (33-42-75) over 75 career games vs. Tampa Bay.
- Aleksander Barkov has amassed 33 points (7-26-33) over 39 career games against the Lightning.
BATTLE OF FLORIDA
The Panthers face the Lightning for the second time this season. In their prior matchup on Oct. 21 at FLA Live Arena, Matthew Tkachuk (1-1-2) and Brandon Montour (0-2-2) each registered two points. Florida owns a 5-1-3 record over their past eight matchups against their cross-state rival, and have earned at least one point in each of their past four visits (2-0-2) to Amalie Arena.
‘TIS THE SEASON
Florida owns a 3-1-0 record so far in December, averaging 4.25 goals per game and 35.5 shots on goal per game. Their 17 goals scored his month ranks tied for third-most among clubs with at least four games played through Dec. 8. 19 different Panthers skaters have recorded a point over Florida’s four December contests, including 14 different skaters with at least two points.
NEW CATS IN TOWN
Per NHL Stats, the Panthers have 27 goals and 76 points (27-49-76) from players who did not play a game for the club last season. Vancouver and Detroit (34 each) are the only teams with more goals from new players, and Detroit (94 points) is the only such club with more points from new skaters. In total, 21 different Panthers skaters have scored at least one goal in 2022-23.
PUCKS ON NET
The Panthers, who led the NHL in shots on goal in each of the past two seasons, once again pace the League with 1,047 SOG, the only team with over 1,000 thus far in 2022-23.
CHUCKIE’S CHEESE
Matthew Tkachuk posted his team-leading 13th multi-point game (1-1-2) Dec. 8 vs. DET, extending his point streak to four games (3-5-8), his third point streak of at least four games in 2022-23. Tkachuk’s team-leading 37 points (13-24-37) through 25 games in 2022-23 are both the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games with the franchise and the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games of a season in franchise history. His 37 points are also the most of any player on a new team this season. The Scottsdale, Ariz. Native also paces the Cats in assists (24), PIMs (41), points per game (1.48), even-strength goals (11-tied with Carter Verhaeghe), even-strength points (25), power-play points (12) and shots on goal (102). He has also produced the most road points (19) and assists (12) over 14 games away from FLA Live Arena. At five-on-five play, his 63.8% shot attempts percentage is the highest of any NHL skater with at least 25 games played this season, and is the highest of any Panthers skater with at least 25 games played since the NHL began tracking the statistic in 2009-10
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through first 25 Games with the Franchise
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1998-99 to 1999-00 30 Points (21-9-30)
- Kris Versteeg 2011-12 28 Points (12-16-18)
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through First 25 Games of a Season
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1999-00 34 Points (21-13-34)
- Jonathan Huberdeau 2019-20 31 Points (10-21-31)
BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov notched one assist Dec. 8 vs. DET after missing Florida’s past six contests. He has registered 19 points (4-15-19) over 20 games in 2022-23, leading Florida with a 56.4 faceoff win percentage. His five multi-assist games are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the most on Florida this season. Barkov sits at 66 career power-play goals, tied with Scott Mellanby for the most in Panthers history. Over his past five games played, Barkov has produced eight points (2-6-8) and 22 shots on goal. Barkov is also three even-strength goals away from surpassing Jonathan Huberdeau (150) for the franchise record.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad notched his 202nd NHL assist to surpass Keith Yandle for second-most by a defenseman in franchise history and sixth-most by a Panthers skater. He logged his 611th career blocked shot Dec. 6 at WPG, surpassing Dmitry Kulikov for the most blocked shots in franchise history (since the NHL began tracking in 2005-06). Ekblad logged his 200th NHL assist Nov. 29 at CGY to cap his point streak at five games (3-4-7 from Nov. 20-29), tied for the longest by a Panthers skater this season. He was the third blueliner to reach 200 assists with Florida. Ekblad notched his 199th career assist Nov. 28 at EDM for his 300th NHL point (101-198-299). He was the first Panthers defenseman to reach the mark with Florida and the first blueliner from the 2014 draft class to post 300 points. He scored his 100th career goal Nov. 23 vs. BOS and produced a season-high three points (1-2-3). The Windsor, Ontario native is four games shy of surpassing Robert Svehla (573) for most games played by a defenseman in club history.
All-Time Games Played, Panthers History
- Jonathan Huberdeau (F) 671 GP
- Stephen Weiss (F) 654 GP
- Aleksander Barkov (F) 616 GP
- Radek Dvorak 613 GP
- Robert Svehla (D) 573 GP
- Roberto Luongo (G) 572 GP
- Aaron Ekblad (D) 570 GP
MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe has posted at least a point (3-2-5) in each of his past four games, and he skated in is 200th NHL game Dec. 8 vs. DET. He tallied his fourth power-play goal of the season and matched his career high with eight shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. Verhaeghe produced his team-leading fifth multi-goal game Dec. 3 at SEA. His goals came :26 seconds apart, tied for the third-fastest two goals scored by one player in franchise history. He paces Florida in goals (15) and is tied for the club lead in even-strength goals (11) and he has produced 24 points (15-9-24) over 26 games in 2022-23, which ranks second on the team. He posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3-9 (4-3-7). Over his past 19 games, Verhaeghe has amassed 12 goals and 19 points (12-7-19). The Toronto, Ontario native’s eight total multi-point games and 18 even-strength points each rank tied for second-most on Florida with Sam Bennett.
BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett has logged six points (2-4-6) over his past four games. He matched his career high with three assists Dec. 3 at SEA, and he logged his second multi-goal game of the season (2-0-2) Dec. 1 at VAN. He has amassed 17 points (6-11-17) over his past 15 contests. He also produced three assists while skating in his 500th NHL game Nov. 17 vs. DAL. Bennett’s five third-period tallies are tied for the team lead with Matthew Tkachuk. He has registered eight multi-point games this season, tied with Carter Verhaeghe for second-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 85 shots on goal are third-most on Florida and his 67 hits lead Florida forwards.
‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart notched an assist Dec. 8 vs. DET and posted a season-high seven shots on goal. He produced at least one point in five consecutive games (2-5-7) from Nov. 23-Dec. 1, tied for the longest point streak on Florida this season. He scored a powerplay goal in three consecutive games from Nov. 15-19, behind only Anthony Duclair and Evgenii Dadonov (4 games each) for the longest PPG streak in franchise history. Reinhart’s five power-play tallies are the most on Florida this season, and he has logged seven power-play points. He recorded his first two goals of the season Nov. 6 at ANA and led Florida with seven shots on goal in the game. He has produced 14 points (7-7-14) over his past 16 games. The West Vancouver, B.C. native scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout against James Reimer Nov. 3 at SJS.
OH WHAT A KNIGHT
Goaltender Spencer Knight earned at least one point in six consecutive decisions (3-0-3) from Nov. 19-Dec. 1. He has surrendered five goals over his past three starts since Dec. 1 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among goaltenders over that span (Dec. 1-Dec. 6). Knight appeared in his 50th NHL game Dec. 3 at SEA and earning his 30th NHL win Dec. 1 at VAN. His 49 games were the fewest games required to reach the 30-win mark with Florida in franchise history. Knight stopped all 40 Carolina shots he faced Nov. 9 vs. CAR to earn his third career shutout. The 21-year-old native of Darien, Conn., owns a 31-13-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.
MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour has produced 22 points (5-17-21) through his first 25 games of 2022-23, including assists in two of his past three outings. With his assist Nov. 28 at EDM, he surpassed Aaron Ekblad (22 GP, 2021-22) for the fewest games to reach the 20-point mark in a season among Panthers blueliners in club history. Montour has notched an assist in seven of his past 12 games (0-7-7), and he has amassed 14 points (1-13-14) over his past 15 games. The Brantford, Ontario native leads Florida blueliners in assists and points. Montour’s seven points from Nov. 6-9 tied Bryan McCabe (1-6-7, March 3-6, 2010) for the most points in a two-game span by a Panthers defenseman in club history. He matched his career high with four points (1-3-4) Nov. 6 at ANA, also tying the franchise record for single-game points by a defenseman. He became the eighth blueliner in club history to post four points in a regular season game, and he skated a career-high 30:41 total time on ice Nov. 3 at SJS.
JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling scored a goal in consecutive games from Dec. 1-3 and he has produced three points (2-1-3) over his past five contests. He registered his 10th career multi-assist game (0-2-2) Nov. 26 vs. STL. All 10 of his multi-assist performances have come with Florida. Forsling has amassed 18 points (4-14-18) over 27 games in 2022-23, including 14 even-strength points which are the most among Panthers defensemen. Forsling notched an assist in five straight games (0-6-6) from Nov. 12-20, the longest assist/point streak of his career. He also posted a four-game assist/point streak earlier this season (1-4-5, 4GP Oct. 15-21). He logged a career-high seven shots on goal Nov. 1 at ARI. His 82 total shots this season are the most among Panthers blueliners.
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 33 of 35 shots over his past two appearances for a .943 save percentage. He stopped 19 of 20 against DET on Dec. 8, and turned aside 14 of 15 WPG shots Dec. 6, including all 13 he faced at even strength. He stopped a season-high 41 shots for a .953 save percentage Nov. 15 vs. WSH. His 41 saves were his most since stopping 42 shots against Jan. 11 vs. VAN. Bobrovsky appeared in his 600th NHL game Nov. 5 at LAK, becoming the 53rd goaltender in league history to reach the mark. His 339 career wins are the most through a goaltender’s first 600 appearances in NHL history.
SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for six assists over Florida’s past five games. Marc led Florida with a plus-three rating and four blocked shots Dec. 8 vs. DET, and Eric recorded a season-high six shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. The Thunder Bay, Ontario natives have combined for 2,359 total NHL games and 1,255 points.
THE LOMBERGHINI
Ryan Lomberg has produced a point two of his past four games (1-1-2). The 27-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ontario has produced six points (3-3-6) in 2022-23, and he ranks second among Florida forwards in hits (36).
GOTTA GO TO MO’
Nov. 15 vs. WSH marked Paul Maurice’s 1,700th game as an NHL head coach, becoming the fourth in League history to reach the mark. He earned his 783rd win as an NHL head coach Nov. 9 vs. CAR, surpassing legendary bench boss Al Arbour for sixth-most in League history. He is one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises. He is 12 wins away from achieving his 800th NHL win as a head coach.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTINING NOTES:
LAST GAME
Lightning 5 vs. Nashville 2
The Tampa Bay Lightning got back in the win column with a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts improved to 16-9-1 on the season with a home record of 9-4-1…The Lightning have won four straight games over NSH and 10 of the last 12 meetings…Tampa Bay got on the board early when Brayden Point collected an airborne pass from Ian Cole and flew into the NSH zone before beating Juuse Saros on the forehand to put the Lightning up 1-0 just 1:16 into the game…The Bolts quickly made it 2-0 after Corey Perry quickly fired a rebound from a Steven Stamkos wrist shot past Saros 1:37 after Point’s goal…Mark Jankowski got NSH on the board with a shorthanded goal to make it a 2-1 game at the 10:51 mark of the first…NSH tied the game with 7:24 left in the second period with a goal from Alexandre Carrier…Entering the third period tied at two, Point scored his second goal of the game with a shot to the short side 2:14 into the period to make it a 3-2 game…Nick Paul rifled a wrist shot into the top left corner 4:56 later to put Tampa Bay up 4-2 with his 12th goal of the season…Brandon Hagel capped off the 5-2 win with a shorthanded goal at the 15:40 mark of the third, the first shorthanded goal scored by the Lightning this season…Brian Elliott got the start in goal and earned his sixth-straight win, making 34 saves on 36 shots against and recording the secondary assist on Hagel’s shorthanded goal…Jon Cooper collected his 450th career win in his 741st game behind the Bolts bench and became the fastest coach in NHL history to hit the 450-win mark.
PP: TBL – 1-2 NSH – 0-2
SOG: TBL – 33 NSH – 36
Attendance: 19,092
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Panthers are playing the second of four matchups this season and the first of two meetings at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts grabbed a victory in the first meeting with a 3-2 overtime win Oct. 21 at FLA…Steven Stamkos opened the scoring with a one-timer on the power play at the 13:04 mark of the first period…Matthew Tkachuk tied the game for FLA 2:44 after Stamkos opened the scoring…Rudolfs Balcers, now a member of the Bolts, gave Florida the lead 4:23 into the second period…Brayden Point tied the game with 10:31 left in the third period and scored the game-winning goal on the power play in overtime at the 2:08 mark…Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in goal and stopped 36-of-38 shots against…Tampa Bay is 5-5-0 in the last 10 regular season games vs. FLA and 7-3-0 in the last 10 meetings at AMALIE Arena…Stamkos has scored goals in three straight games vs. FLA (4-3—7)…Nikita Kucherov has picked up points in three consecutive games vs. FLA (3-7—10)…Kucherov has 14 points in his last 10 home games vs. FLA (7-7—14)…Point has scored a goal in five consecutive games vs. FLA (6-1—7)…Victor Hedman has five assists (0-5—5) in his last two games vs. FLA…Hedman has pointed in four straight home games vs. FLA (2-3—5)…Vasilevskiy has won three consecutive games vs. FLA and is 8-2-0 in the last 10 meetings at AMALIE Arena…The Lightning are 68-60-13 with 10 ties all-time vs. FLA, including a home record of 40-24-6 with six ties…Stamkos (38-37—75) holds the Bolts franchise records for career goals and points vs. FLA.
TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. FLA
- Steven Stamkos – 75 pts. (38-37—75, 61 GP)
- Martin St. Louis – 71 pts. (31-40—71, 73 GP)
- Vincent Lecavalier – 68 pts. (26-42—68, 78 GP)
- Victor Hedman – 42 pts. (7-35—42, 58 GP)
- Brad Richards – 38 pts. (14-24—38, 43 GP)
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the fourth game of a season-long, six-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play nine of their 14 games in December at AMALIE Arena…The Lightning are 5-3-0 against Atlantic Division opponents this season…Tampa Bay is 9-4-1 at home this season and have won six of their last eight home contests.
INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 67
Current Injuries:
Rudolfs Balcers (Upper-body injury; Out indefinitely) 6 Games
Haydn Fleury (Upper-body injury; Day-to-day) 3 Games
TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 3 – Re-assigned D Philippe Myers to AHL Syracuse
Dec. 3 – Assigned F Cole Koepke to AHL Syracuse
Nov. 28 – Assigned F Alex Barre-Boulet to AHL Syracuse
Nov. 25 – Recalled F Alex Barre-Boulet from AHL Syracuse
Nov. 12 – Claimed F Rudolfs Balcers off waivers from FLA
HOCKEY PARADISE
The Lightning sold out their 300th-consecutive game at AMALIE Arena Dec. 8 vs. NSH…The Bolts hold the NHL’s longest active sellout streak beginning 3/26/15 (2020-21 season excluded due to social distancing protocols)…Since the streak started, Tampa Bay has posted a record of 194-86-20 (playoffs included).
COOPED UP
Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper collected his 450th career win in his 741st game behind the Bolts bench Dec. 8 vs. NSH and became the fastest coach in NHL history to hit the 450-win mark…Since being named head coach of the Lightning on 3/25/13, Jon Cooper has led the Bolts to four Stanley Cup Finals (2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022), six Eastern Conference Finals/Stanley Cup Semifinals (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022) and a combined 450-229-62 record with his .649-point percentage ranking second-highest in NHL history among coaches with a minimum of 500 games (best: Scotty Bowman – .657 in 2,141 games)…Cooper ranks 35th all-time in wins by an NHL coach and is one of 19 coaches in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup multiple times…Leading Tampa Bay to the playoffs for a franchise-record fifth-straight year in 2021-22, Cooper has reached the postseason in eight of his nine full seasons behind the Lightning bench.
STAMMER TIME
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos recorded two assists Dec. 8 vs. NSH and extended his season-long point streak to 12 games (7-12—19), passing Nikita Kucherov for the longest point streak among Tampa Bay skaters this season…Stamkos tied Kucherov for the Lightning team lead in multi-point games this season with 11, tied for the fifth-most in the NHL…Stamkos is one of just four NHL players to record a point streak of 12 or more games this season…The 12-game point streak is the second-longest of Stamkos’s career, trailing only his 18-game point streak in 2009-10 (17-16—33)…Stamkos has picked up points in 12 consecutive games vs. NSH (10-11—21), including six straight home games against the Preds (5-6—11)…Stamkos is five goals away from his 500th career goal…Stamkos recorded his 1,000th career point with an assist Dec. 1 at PHI…Stamkos is the 95th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000-point milestone and 48th player ever to record all 1,000 points with a single franchise…Stamkos is the only player in Lightning franchise history to record 1,000 points with the team…Stamkos is the eighth active NHL player to hit the milestone and 44th-fastest in NHL history in number of games played (945 GP)…Stamkos is one of four active NHL players to record 1,000 points in less than 1,000 games…Stamkos (14-18—32) leads the Bolts in goals, ranks third in assists and trails only Kucherov (11-27—38) in points…Stamkos’s seven power-play goals lead all Tampa Bay skaters and are tied for the seventh-most in the NHL…Stamkos’s 495 career goals are the 48th-most in NHL history…Stamkos has recorded more career goals and points than any player in Tampa Bay franchise history.
TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS
- Steven Stamkos – 1,004 pts. (495-509—1,004, 948 GP)
- Martin St. Louis – 953 pts. (365-588—953, 972 GP)
- Vincent Lecavalier – 874 pts. (383-491—874, 1,037 GP)
- Nikita Kucherov – 654 pts. (257-397—654, 588 GP)
- Victor Hedman – 615 pts. (135-480—615, 922 GP)
GAME POINT
Bolts forward Brayden Point scored two goals Dec. 8 vs. NSH, including the game-winner…Point pushed his point streak vs. NSH to six games vs. NSH (4-4—8) and has points in 11 of the last 12 meetings (6-10—16)…Point has posted 11 points over his last nine games (7-4—11)…Point (13-14—27) trails only Steven Stamkos (14-18—32) for the Lightning lead in goals…Point ranks third in points and fourth in assists among Tampa Bay skaters, while his five power-play goals are tied with Nikita Kucherov and trail only Stamkos (7) for the team lead…Point’s three game-winning goals are tied with Kucherov for the team lead…Point’s 38 career game-winning goals are the fifth-most in Lightning franchise history.
TBL ALL-TIME GAME-WINNING GOAL LEADERS
- Steven Stamkos – 75 GWG (948 GP)
- Martin St. Louis – 64 GWG (972 GP)
- Vincent Lecavalier – 60 GWG (1,037 GP)
- Nikita Kucherov – 41 GWG (588 GP)
- Brayden Point – 38 GWG (443 GP)
SCOREY PERRY
Tampa Bay forward Corey Perry picked up a point for the fourth-straight game with one goal Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Perry has recorded six points over his season-long four-game point streak (1-5—6)…Perry has seven points over his last six games (2-5—7)…Perry’s 12 points this season (4-8—12) rank seventh among Lightning forwards…Perry skated in his 1,200th career game and recorded two helpers Dec. 3 vs. TOR…Perry has four power-play points over his last four games and ranks fifth among Lightning skaters with seven this season…Perry’s 51 shots rank fifth among Tampa Bay skaters…Perry has recorded at least one shot on goal in 23 of 26 games this season…Perry’s 409 career goals are tied for the 96th-most in NHL history.
BETTER CALL PAUL
Lightning forward Nick Paul scored his 12th goal of the season Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Paul has scored six goals in his last eight contests…Paul’s 12 goals this season are the third-most among Tampa Bay skaters…Paul leads the Lightning with a plus-14 rating, tied for the seventh-best plus/minus rating among NHL forwards…Paul (12-7—19) has played in 26 games this season and already surpassed his goal and point total from his 59 games with OTT last season (11-7— 18)…Paul ranks sixth in points and fourth in hits (50) among all Lightning skaters…Paul leads all Tampa Bay forwards with 21 blocked shots, while ranking second in shorthanded time on ice (64:19) and third in faceoff win percentage (52.2%, min. 100 faceoffs)…Paul has scored 10 goals since Nov. 3, tied for the 10th-most in the NHL during that span.
TBL GOAL LEADERS, 2022-23
- Steven Stamkos – 14 goals (14-18—32)
- Brayden Point – 13 goals (13-14—27)
- Nick Paul – 12 goals (12-7—19)
- Nikita Kucherov – 11 goals (11-27—38)
T5. Alex Killorn – 8 goals (8-13—21)
T5. Brandon Hagel – 8 goals (8-10—18)
CRANK THE AC
Bolts forward Anthony Cirelli recorded one assist Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Cirelli recorded a season-high 16:25 time on ice…Cirelli made his season debut Dec. 3 vs. TOR and picked up two helpers in 12:51 of ice time…Cirelli has recorded three points in three games this season (0-3—3)…Cirelli led the Lightning with 60 takeaways last season and led all NHL skaters in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 30…Cirelli ranks ninth all-time in Bolts franchise history with 191 career takeaways…Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Cirelli leads the Lightning with 136 takeaways and is one of just three skaters with more than 100 (also: Hedman, 125; Point, 114)
KLUTCHEROV
Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov recorded one assist Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Kucherov has recorded points in seven straight games vs. NSH (5-8—13)…Kucherov has picked up points in three straight games and six of his last seven contests (1-9—10)…Kucherov (11-27—38) is tied for the third-most assists in the NHL and ranks fifth in the league in points…Kucherov leads the Lightning in points, assists, power-play points (19) and shots (94)…Kucherov’s 19 powerplay points this season are the third-most among NHL skaters…Kucherov has recorded points in 12 of 14 home games
this season (7-15—22) and 21 of 26 games overall.
NHL POWER-PLAY POINT LEADERS
- Connor McDavid – 27 PPP (10-17—27, 28 GP)
- Leon Draisaitl – 21 PPP (12-9—21, 28 GP)
- Nikita Kucherov – 19 PPP (5-14—19, 26 GP)
HED RUSH
Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman picked up one assist Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Hedman has recorded an assist in two consecutive games…Hedman (1-11—12) has the sixth-most assists among Lightning skaters…Hedman leads all Tampa Bay defensemen with 51 shots on goal and is tied with Corey Perry for the fifth-most among all Bolts skaters…Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Hedman leads all NHL defensemen in scoring (86-300—386).
NHL DEFENSEMEN POINT LEADERS, 2016-PRESENT
- Victor Hedman – 386 pts. (86-300-386, 452 GP)
- John Carlson – 382 pts. (87-295—382, 456 GP)
- Brent Burns – 373 pts. (90-283—373, 480 GP)
- Roman Josi – 372 pts. (94-278—372, 450 GP)
STORM SERG
Bolts defenseman Mikhail Sergachev recorded one assist Dec. 8 vs. NSH…Sergachev (4-20—24) has the sixth-most assists, fourth-most power-play points (12) and is tied for the sixth-most points among all NHL defensemen…Sergachev ranks second in assists, fourth in points and third in power-play points among all Lightning skaters…Sergachev, who was drafted ninth overall by MTL in the 2016 NHL Draft, leads all defensemen selected in 2016 in games played (388) and points (40-158—198)…Sergachev (0.51 P/GP) ranks fourth all-time among Russian defensemen in points per game (min. 100 GP), trailing only Sergei Zubov (0.72), Sergei Gonchar (0.62) and Andrei Markov (0.58).
NHL POWER-PLAY POINT LEADERS, DEFENSEMEN, 2022-23
- Rasmus Dahlin – 17 PPP (4-13—17, 26 GP)
- Cale Makar – 15 PPP (4-11—15, 25 GP)
- Quinn Hughes – 13 PPP (0-13—13, 23 GP)
- Mikhail Sergachev – 12 PPP (2-10—12, 26 GP)
