The six games played by the Lightning in the month of February were the fewest they’ve played since April of 2022-23 when they went 2-4-0. So, there isn’t much to be gleamed from the numbers, especially considering the long break between the first three games and the last three games, but at least, for the most part, everything trended in a positive direction.
| 5v5 stats and league-wide rankings | October 5-4-2 | November 11-3-0 | December 7-6-1 | January 11-1-1 | February 4-2-0 |
| GF/60 | 2.48 (18th) | 3.24 (5th) | 2.88 (3rd) | 2.92 (10th) | 3.66 (3rd) |
| xGF/60 | 3.10 (4th) | 2.87 (5th) | 2.86 (7th) | 2.77 (11th) | 2.98 (10th) |
| GA/60 | 2.48 (15th) | 2.25 (11th) | 1.95 (7th) | 1.60 (2nd) | 3.23 (26th) |
| XGA/60 | 2.29 (7th) | 2.65 (19th) | 2.41 (4th) | 2.10 (1st) | 2.56 (8th) |
| SCF/60 | 28.17 (8th) | 27.0 (12th) | 30.14 (5th) | 30.14 (7th) | 29.68 (8th) |
| SCA/60 | 22.40 (2nd) | 25.56 (11th) | 23.09 (1st) | 21.0 (1st) | 24.30 (7th) |
| HDCF/60 | 11.32 (16th) | 11.70 (10th) | 13.63 (1st) | 12.05 (11th) | 13.33 (6th) |
| HDCA/60 | 8.84 (2nd) | 10.71 (13th) | 9.09 (1st) | 9.42 (1st) | 10.32 (10th) |
| Save Percentage | .907 (15th) | .915 (9th) | .923 (9th) | .925 (5th) | .889 (25th) |
| Shooting Percentage | 9.33% (19th) | 13.14% (2nd) | 10.20% (4th) | 10.99% (11th) | 11.72 (9th) |
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
In short, while there might not have been a lot of games, there was still plenty of offense. Fun for the fans, probably not so much fun for the coaches. The fifteen goals the Lightning allowed in the month of February were, in fact, just two shy of the seventeen they allowed all of January. Now, the optimist would say that shows how dominant they were defensively in January, but when was the last time you met an optimistic sports fan?
Because it is a small sample size, the numbers are heavily skewed by the final two games of the season where the Bolts conceded five goals to Carolina and six to Buffalo. Take those two games out, and things are a little more inline with what they’ve done over the season. However, since they are also the two most recent games, they tend to linger a bit longer in the consciousness.
With a tough slate of games moving forward, the Bolts need to get back to their defensive prowess which is a major reason why they are at the top of the standings. An off-day and a practice day before heading out to Minnesota to kick off their four-game road trip should help them refocus and reacclimate some of the players back into the line-up.
Instead of dwelling on February, let’s take a look ahead at the month of March. With the busy slate of games for all teams, we should all have a better grasp on what the postseason will look like once the month is over. Here is how it breaks down for the Lightning:
Games – 16
Home Games – 8
Road Games – 8
Longest Road Trip – 4 games (twice)
Longest Home Stand – 5 games
Back-to-Backs – 3 (2 on the road, 1 at home)
Division Games – 5 (3 at home, 2 on the road)
Conference Games – 7
Games against teams in a playoff spot (as of 3/2/26) – 9
This month is an absolute gauntlet. After today, the Lightning are playing, at the very least, every other night for the rest of the month with the exception of a two-day break on March 15 and 16. They have a west coast trip that takes them to Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Then they have one day off before starting a home stand against Minnesota.
They take on two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in Carolina and Buffalo as well as the Western Conference in the Wild. Columbus, Ottawa, and Nashville might not be in the playoffs, but are on the cusp, so expect their best efforts.
Four of the teams they are facing (Montreal, Buffalo, Ottawa, and Carolina) are in the top ten for 5v5 scoring this season while Seattle, Carolina, and Minnesota are among the best in keeping the puck out of the net.
