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Lightning's Dennis Hildeby: Still perfect this season
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Hildeby made 12 saves in a 4-2 win over Vancouver on Saturday.
The Canucks went up 2-0 early in the second period before the Bolts woke up and keyed a comeback. Hildeby is now 2-0-0 in two starts with a 2.01 GAA and .920 save percentage. Coach Jon Cooper has used Hildeby once every four games, which means he'll see 20-21 games this season. He is a strong spot start when he is in the blue paint.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Two apples, but goals still hard to find
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Point delivered two assists in Saturday's 4-2 win over Vancouver.
Point has one goal and five assists in eight games this season. He hasn't scored a goal since Oct. 5 in a win over Philly. Point had a tough year in 2025-26, putting up just 18 goals on 129 shots (14.0 percent) with 32 assists in 63 games, and he's started 2026-27 slowly, too. He's now 30, which isn't old, but he needs to step things up to return his elite goal-scoring form. Point averaged 46 goals, 89 points and 217 shots over the three seasons prior to last year. We're not counting him out -- he's too talented for that. But we can't help but wonder if he's still struggling to find space to shoot the puck, particularly in tight places, like he admitted to media after last season. We're watching, and you should, too.
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Lightning's Pontus Holmberg: Point streak at three games
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Holmberg scored a goal Saturday in a 4-2 win over Vancouver.
The goal stretched his point streak to three games and three points (one goal, two assists). Holmberg has seven shots in that span. He's off to a strong start to the season, and he's on a career pace. Holmberg's best-ever offensive season came last year in Tampa Bay when he put up 11 goals and 11 assists (90 shots) in 70 games. So far, he has two goals and three assists in eight games, and he has already put up 14 shots which puts him on pace for almost 150 on the season. We don't think Holmberg will keep up his current 50-plus point pace, but a new career high is certainly within reach.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: Scores game-winning goal against Canucks
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Guentzel had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Saturday.
His goal put the Lightning up 3-2 early in the third period and stood as the winner. Guentzel has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last two games and nine points (four goals, five assists; 20 shots) in eight games this season. The Lightning head to Vegas, Colorado and Utah next week, and Guentzel will play a critical role in the team's success on the road trip.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Finds twine for first time since opener
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Kucherov scored twice, including once on the power play, in Saturday's 4-2 win over Vancouver. He fired seven shots.
Kucherov keyed a Bolts' comeback after the Orcas went up 2-0 by the early second. The goals were his first since opening night (Oct. 1) when he tapped the keg a single time against the Rangers, and they snapped a minor two-game point drought. Kucherov has really ratcheted up his shot totals in the last two games. He has 15 in that span (nine in his first six this season). Overall, Kucherov has three goals, seven assists, three power-play points (one PPG) and 24 shots in eight contests this season. A lot of more points are about to come with the uptick in shots. Kucherov is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and a Ted Lindsay Award finalist.
Lightning's Dennis Hildeby: Slated starter Saturday
Rotowire
Hildeby is expected to start at home against Vancouver on Saturday, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Hildeby is gearing up for his second game of the campaign. He stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 3-2 victory over Minnesota on Oct. 8. Vancouver has averaged a solid 3.11 goals per game this campaign, but the Canucks are off to a rough 2-6-1 start.
James logged an assist, three hits and two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.
James missed a couple of weeks to begin the season while recovering from a broken hand. He got a little time at AHL Syracuse over the weekend to get up to game speed, but he should be a bottom-six regular for the Lightning moving forward. As a rookie last year, he put up 15 points over 43 regular-season outings, giving him 30-point potential if he can avoid further injuries and show a little development in his second NHL campaign.
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Lightning's Ilya Mikheyev: Steals puck and scores sweet goal
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Mikheyev scored a goal Thursday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.
Mikheyev looked like he was playing Grand Theft Auto with the Kraken defense. He took the puck off Ville Ottavainen' stick in front of the net and then poked it past Philipp Grubauer. Mikheyev has settled onto the third line, which disappoints many managers who draft him on the speculation that he'd be Nikita Kucherov's wing man. He has two goals, two assists and eight shots in seven games.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Backstops overtime win
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Vasilevskiy made 24 saves Thursday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.
Vasilevskiy has allowed three goals in each of his last three games (1-2-0) and 15 in six games (3-3-0). His game has been fine, but not great -- he entered the contest with an .886 save percentage, and his goals saved against expected is minus-0.4. That's 38th in a field of 65 goalies. Last season, Big Cat finished fourth overall in that category with a 24.7 rating. It feels like he's easing into this season.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: First goal since February
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Hedman scored the game-winning goal in overtime Thursday in a 4-3 victory over Seattle.
It was Hedman's first goal since February 28 against the Sabres. It was a sweet skill play as he skated in, split the D and beat Philipp Grubauer from in tight. The Norris trophy winner (2017-18) played just 33 games last season and missed all seven games the Lightning played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as he took time to prioritize his mental health. Hedman is being deployed in a different way this season, allowing others to step up with big ice time and greater offensive opportunities. He has one goal and two assists in seven games so far this season.
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Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Five goals in past three games
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Hagel scored twice Thursday in a 4-3 overtime win over Seattle.
Hagel has five goals in the past three games, and Bolts head coach Jon Cooper was raving about him postgame: "He's the guy that stirs the drink for our team. Whether it's on the ice or in the locker room, he's an emotional kid and I think when he's going like that, the guys jump on his back. He's been really, really good this year." Hagel has six goals, four assists and 33 shots in seven games.
Hildeby is expected to return to the lineup for Thursday's clash against the Kraken, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Hildeby will likely be available to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy in Thursday's clash after Jonas Johansson was sent back to AHL Syracuse. Before Hildeby's one-game absence, the 25-year-old netminder posted a win in his lone outing of the season, stopping 34 shots in a 3-2 win over the Wild. Now that he appears to be healthy, he'll likely see another appearance within Tampa Bay's next handful of games.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Set to battle Kraken
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Vasilevskiy will guard the home net in Thursday's clash against the Kraken, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy will look to bounce back falling to the Rangers on Tuesday for his first loss since Opening Night. Overall, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner has a 3-2-0 record, a 2.46 GAA and an .886 save percentage across five appearances. While his save percentage leaves some room for improvement, the number doesn't tell some aspects of the story, as he's already logged two performances where he's allowed one goal or less. Despite the Kraken being red-hot offensively with 4.00 goals per game to open the new season, Vasilevskiy remains an elite fantasy option for Thursday's matchup.
James was called up from AHL Syracuse on Wednesday.
James has no points and two PIM in two outings with Syracuse in 2026-27. The 24-year-old logged 43 regular-season outings with Tampa Bay in 2025-26, recording seven goals, 15 points, eight PIM and 58 hits. If James draws into the lineup Thursday versus Seattle, then he's most likely to occupy a bottom-six role. However, Tampa Bay has 13 healthy forwards, including James, and the Lightning sometimes dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, so there's no guarantee that James will be in the lineup.
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Lightning's Mads Sogaard: Returns to AHL
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Sogaard was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Wednesday.
Sogaard was summoned Tuesday, and he served as the backup behind Andrei Vasilevskiy in that night's 4-1 loss to the Rangers. Sogaard was with the team because Dennis Hildeby (undisclosed) wasn't available. Sogaard's return to the minors might indicate that Hildeby is expected to be fine for Thursday's home game against Seattle, but that hasn't been confirmed.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Sweet snipe for hitter
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Girgensons got a goal Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers.
It was a sweet snipe -- he went high over Dylan Garand's shoulder, surprising the rookie. Girgensons isn't a scorer -- last year, he put up nine goals and 11 assists along with 195 hits. He already has 17 hits in six games this season, a pace that would see him top 200 hits for the first time in his career. Use Girgensons as a punishing pylon who gives you bonus offense like he did Tuesday. Otherwise, leave him on the wire.
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