Oilers at Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are beginning to resemble the team that won the Eastern Conference and finished two wins shy of the Stanley Cup championship last season. The Lightning have won five straight games to move into playoff position and will attempt to build on that when they host the improving Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over Edmonton on Jan. 8 to start its streak and held off Atlantic Division-leading Florida 3-1 on Sunday. “I don’t care what team you are in the league,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “You win a few in a row, you think you can win every single game. The more we’ve won, that’s kind of how that feeling’s been on the bench.” The Oilers also are gaining confidence after a 4-2 victory at Florida on Monday that extended their point streak to four games (2-0-2), but they lost third-leading scorer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins indefinitely to a hand injury. Nugent-Hopkins (30 points) blocked a shot in the second period Monday and did not return.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE OILERS (19-23-5): All-Star Taylor Hall came into the game against Florida with one point in his previous six contests but pushed his team-leading total to 45 with a pair of goals and an assist. Teddy Purcell will face his former team Tuesday after notching his 10th goal to go along with a pair of assists and Jordan Eberle scored for the first time in seven games. Cam Talbot is 2-1-1 in his last four games, allowing a total of six goals, and earned his ninth win Monday – one day after signing a three-year contract extension.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (24-17-4): Ondrej Palat has recorded four points in seven games since returning from a second stint on injured reserve, but there’s no coincidence Tampa Bay is 6-1-0 in that stretch. “(Palat) is a guy that’s essential to any winning formula you have on a team,” captain Steven Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times. “So, we missed him, for sure.” Stamkos (team-best 20 goals) and Vladislav Namestnikov (eight points in five games) have skated with Palat on a line through most of the winning streak.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 37 points – including at least one in five consecutive games.
2. Edmonton LW Lauri Korpikoski (foot) is questionable after missing Monday’s game.
3. Lightning D Victor Hedman has recorded one goal and six assists with a plus-4 rating over his last five contests.