The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup between two of the league's best teams. The Lightning have a 28-13-1 record which is third in the Atlantic Division while the Oilers have a 25-18-3 record and have four wins in a row. Both teams are looking to continue to gain ground in their divisions and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Lightning are having a great season with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.60 goals per game. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point have scored 60 goals and 96 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also been great. Brandon Hagel, Alex Killorn, and Nick Paul have combined for 47 goals and 45 assists while defensemen Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev have added eight goals and 51 assists from the point to put the offense over the top.
The offense has been great but the defense has also stepped up, allowing only 2.88 goals per game. Victor Hedman and Ian Cole have combined for 5.1 defensive point shares and 137 blocked shots while Mikhail Sergachev, Nicklaus Perbix, and Erik Cernak have combined for 5.4 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. With the Lightning playing the second game of a back-to-back, the hope is that goaltender Brian Ell iott can step up as he has a .897 save percentage and a 3.17 goals-against average on 341 shots.