On Wednesday, several players for the Tampa Bay Lightning stood before the media for the first time since their exit interviews at the end of last year’s disappointing first round loss to the Florida Panthers. One of those players was Nikita Kucherov. It was one of Kucherov’s longer, more detailed media sessions, and the 32-year-old forward engaged with reporters about multiple topics and cracked a smile along with some jokes. He also dedicated a lengthy portion of the interview to the Lightning’s power play.
Listening to Kucherov talk about the power play is kind of like listening to Mozart talk about composing, Serena Willams talk about tennis, or Andy Cohen talk about reality television. It’s a master craftsperson talking about their craft. The impression Kucherov left is that, well, quite frankly, the power play wasn’t good enough, especially in the playoffs.
“You know the power play was bad in the playoffs. So, whatever happens during the season, who cares? The playoffs was bad… I really took it personally… It’s something you hate to see and you’re hungry to go back on the ice and work on things, and why didn’t that work, why is that?”
He wasn’t wrong. In their five-game loss to the Florida Panthers, the Lightning went 2-for-18 with the extra skater. Things started well as Jake Guentzel converted on their very first opportunity in Game 1 to tie the game, but it went downhill after that.
They would miss out cashing in on their next 16 opportunities before Guentzel found the back of the net on what would be their final power play of the series and the season.
Among those 16 missed chances was perhaps the biggest momentum swinging five-plus minutes of the series. With a 2-1 lead in Florida in Game 4, and a chance to tie the series, the Lightning failed to convert on a five-minute major. The Panthers would come back to tie the game and eventually win, building an insurmountable 3-1 series lead.
The Lightning’s failure to cash in on what was once a hallmark of their success was one of the things that doomed them in the series and led to their second consecutive early exit from the postseason at the hands of the Panthers. It ended a season, that, while it was very successful statistically, was ultimately a failure as the Bolts failed to move out of the opening round.
A lot of Tampa Bay’s regular season success in the 2024-25 season came at 5v5. They were a very, very good team at even strength, scoring more than they did the previous year while conceding fewer goals. Considering the bulk of the game is played at 5v5, that is where a team would like to excel. Still, a team with the offensive skills that the Lightning have, need to be able to make an opponent pay when they take a penalty. They weren’t able to do that against the Panthers, and it cost them.
During the season, the power play was good. Yes, it was a bit streaky, but in finished up with some pretty good numbers overall.
| Stats | 2024-25 | 2023-24 |
| Power Play Percentage | 25.9% (5th) | 28.6% (1st) |
| Power Play Opportunities | 232 (10th) | 248 (12th) |
| Power Play Goals | 60 (5th) | 71 (1st) |
| Power Play Shots | 331 (10th) | 388 (12th) |
| Power Play Shot Percentage | 18.43% (5th) | 18.56% (1st) |
| 5-vs-3 | 33.3% (2-for-6) | 50.0% (3-for-6) |
| Short-handed Goals Allowed | 13 (1st-tied) | 6 (22nd) |
Considering they lost one of the greatest power play scorers in the history of the NHL to free agency, finishing in the top five for the league is a pretty nifty trick. Still, it wasn’t the same without Steven Stamkos, and Kucherov acknowledged that in his media day interview:
“Obviously, not having Stammer on the left side, well, first of all, you don’t have the one-timer. There’s no respect on the left side. If you have a lefty, they care less. I think we need to have the right [pieces of the] puzzles on the power play to make sure it’s working.”
To say it wasn’t the same is a bit of an understatement.
That is a drastic change in color on the left side of the ice. As Kucherov alluded to, when teams don’t have to worry about a booming one-timer on the left side of the ice, they could care less about who is over there. That means all of their focus is on the slot and right side of the ice, cutting down on Kucherov’s options when he has the puck.
They never really found a right-shot replacement that had the ability to hold opponent’s attention on that side of the ice. It limited their movement a bit and their ability to dictate the style of play they wanted to play. Brayden Point referenced it as well when asked about it, as he noted that the Bolts weren’t able to “manipulate PKs the way we used to”.
That led to the Lightning moving some players around as they sought a new solution. Point would occasionally move from his bumper spot in the slot while Kucherov would flip to the left side of the ice. It wasn’t something that Kucherov seemed to care for based on his comments.
“When you have the right [pieces to the] puzzles on the power play, you don’t have to move. It becomes simple. When you don’t have puzzles, it’s now, what are we doing? You go here and everyone just starts moving. Everybody is out of their own comfortable zone, and you have to get used to the new spots in a short amount of time. Some guys are not quick to adjust… I feel it’s more difficult when you move around…I don’t like it…when you have the right puzzles, the right pieces on the power play it’s easier. You can be stationary.
That constant change and lack of comfort in the alignment also contributed to one of the most glaring statistics in the column above – the 13 short-handed goals allowed. With the Lightning sometimes trying to force square pegs into round holes it led to players being out of position or trying ill-advised passes. That led to chances the other way and huge momentum-swinging goals throughout the season.
Expect there to be a lot of special teams work over the next couple of weeks as the Lightning try to find a solution to the power play inconsistency. If nothing else, last season showed them that they can’t run the same style they had with Steven Stamkos in the left circle. There just isn’t a player that is within an area code of his ability to one-time the puck from the circle.
A distinct lack of right-hand shots at the forward ranks is part of the issue as well. While Point is a right-hand shot, he’s not what anyone would consider a one-time specialist. Could Oliver Bjorkstrand come close to filling that role? Possibly. In the limited time prior to his injury he played on the left side with the extra skater, and the majority of his shots came from the left circle.
The first unit posted a 13.04 expected-goals-for-per-60 (and 8.82 goals-for-per-60) in the 20 minutes of power play time with Bjorkstrand and a 9.77 xGF/60 (10.43 GF/60) in 143 minutes without him. Chances are he’ll get the first crack at the spot now that he’s back and ready to go for the season.
One benefit the Lightning will have heading into this season is that they aren’t facing any major changes on the special teams unit. The players they had at the end of the year are pretty much the same ones that will be rolled onto the ice for power plays this season. Familiarity and consistency can breed success in the NHL.
For the Bolts, that can lead to them being not only a good power play team, but returning to form as a dominant one.
