The start of the new year was not kind to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Injuries, inconsistent play, the absence of team Captain Steven Stamkos, and other factors contributed to the team’s downward spiral in the NHL standings. It got to the point where a number of us were starting to look at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft for players that would likely go in the top 10. That’s how bad it felt.
On January 1st, 2017, the Lightning were sitting at 19-15-4. They sat two points out of third place in the Atlantic Division and three points back of the second wild card spot.