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This week’s Tampa Bay Lightning fan poll: We’re in it now...or are we?

This season, Senior Columnist Clark Brooks will take the pulse of Raw Charge nation with a weekly poll about current or future events and non-happenings, for the sake of accomplishing not much, probably.

By Clark J Brooks
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes
Mikhail Sergachev: official poster boy of VERY good starts.
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

As of the time this poll is published, the Lightning are 10-2-2, with 22 points and in first place with a five-point lead over the Ottawa Senators in the Atlantic Division.

Before we get to the poll question itself, let’s establish a couple indisputable truths:

  • This is November. There’s a long, long way to go and the Lightning have guaranteed themselves nothing.
  • A good start is better than a bad one (duh), but it doesn’t always result in anything significant (see: Montreal Canadiens, last couple of seasons).
  • There will be bumps in the road, because there always are and sometimes those bumps ruin everything (see: Montreal Canadiens, last couple of seasons)

Having established these truths, we find ourselves with 17% of the season in the rearview mirror and a pretty spectacular record. Closer to 20% (or one-fifth) than 10%. That’s a good-sized chunk.

And before anybody gets upset, we’re not “jinxing” anything. Nobody’s counting any chickens, unhatched or otherwise. If the record reflected otherwise, we wouldn’t be conceding defeat (see: Arizona Coyotes, right now). We’re merely asking, when does the start stop being just a start and become more than that?

So that’s this week’s question; at what point do we stop saying this is a great start and start saying this is a great season?

Poll

Are the Tampa Bay Lightning off to more than a good start yet?

This poll is closed

  • 37%
    Yes. We’re far enough along to be "for real". Relax and enjoy what should be a great season!
    (112 votes)
  • 50%
    Yes, but not nearly far enough along to get too excited about it.
    (152 votes)
  • 7%
    No. The amount of games played is not enough to make any kind of evaluation yet.
    (21 votes)
  • 5%
    No, and it’s not even that great a start; there are obvious flaws and defects that need to be corrected.
    (15 votes)
300 votes total Vote Now

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