#NHLPeachy #SportyPeachy @TBLightning #GoBolts @NHL #WhomYouKnow Lightning First to Clinch Berth in 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs; Lightning clinch 11th all-time playoff appearance, fifth in the past six seasons
PLAYOFF QUICK HITS
Regular Season Record: 51-13-4, 106 points through games played March 8
Clinched 11th all-time playoff appearance with Montreal’s regulation loss Friday in Anaheim
Playoff History
All-Time Playoff Appearance: 11th
Consecutive Playoff Appearances: 2
Most Recent Playoff Appearance: 2018 (FR: 4-1 W vs. NJD; SR: 4-1 W vs. BOS; CF: 4-3 L vs. WSH)
All-Time Playoff Record: 73-60 in 133 GP (14-9 in 23 series)
Playoff Records
Game 7s: 5-3 (3-1 at home, 2-2 on road)
Overtime: 15-8 in 23 GP (3-4 at home, 12-4 on road)
Facing Elimination: 10-9 (5-3 at home, 5-6 on road)
With Chance to Clinch Series: 14-9 (10-4 at home, 4-5 on road)
Stanley Cup Final
Stanley Cup Final Appearances: 2
Stanley Cups: 1 (2004)
Links
Tampa Bay Lightning: Year-by-Year Record (playoffs at bottom)
Tampa Bay Lightning: All-Time Record vs. Opponents (playoffs at bottom)
LOOKING AHEAD: 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Team Notes
* The Lightning return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in the past six seasons (since 2013-14). They have reached at least the Eastern Conference Final in four of the last eight years – a feat achieved by only seven other franchises since the round was introduced in 1981-82 – including a trip to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final (4-2 L vs. CHI).
* Since the 1982 Stanley Cup Playoffs, only four franchises have reached the Conference Finals at least five times in a span of nine years or less: the Blackhawks (5x from 1982-90 and 5x from 2009-15), Avalanche (6x from 1996-2002), Red Wings (5x from 1995-2002) and Oilers (7x from 1983-91 and 7x from 1984-92). The Lightning aim to become the fifth club to do so in that span.
* Tampa Bay also can join Edmonton (4x from 1983-87, 1984-88, 1987-91 and 1988-92), Colorado (4x from 1996-2000, 1997-2001 and 1999-2002), Detroit (4x from 1995-98) and Boston (4x from 1988-92) as the only clubs to reach the Conference Finals four times in a span of five years or less since 1982.
* The Lightning own a .652 winning percentage in 23 playoff overtime games, the second-highest such percentage in NHL history behind the Islanders (.673; 22-16 in 49 GP).
* Tampa Bay has contested five of its eight all-time Game 7s in the Conference Finals – they won in 2004 vs. PHI and 2015 at NYR and lost in 2011 at BOS, 2016 at PIT and 2018 vs. WSH.
Player Notes
* Nikita Kucherov (29-30—59 in 62 GP) needs nine points to match Martin St. Louis (33-35—68 in 63 GP) for the most playoff points in franchise history. Kucherov is also four goals from tying St. Louis for the most in franchise playoff history.
* Steven Stamkos (22-29—51 in 66 GP), Tyler Johnson (24-26—50 in 64 GP) and Victor Hedman (7-41—48 in 82 GP) also rank among the top six on Tampa Bay’s all-time playoff points list, behind St. Louis, Kucherov and Vincent Lecavalier (24-28—52 in 63 GP).
* Johnson (7) needs one game-winning goal to tie St. Louis (8) for the most in Lightning playoff history.
* Andrei Vasilevskiy (15-11 in 29 GP) needs six wins to tie Nikolai Khabibulin (21-12 in 33 GP) and Ben Bishop (21-13 in 36 GP) for the most playoff wins in franchise history.
* Jon Cooper holds a career playoff record of 36-28 since taking over as Lightning head coach in 2013-14, accounting for nearly half of Tampa Bay’s all-time postseason wins – John Tortorella (24-21), Guy Boucher (11-7) and Terry Crisp (2-4) are a combined 37-32.
* Three Lightning players have tallied a winning goal in a Game 7: Braydon Coburn, Dan Girardi and Alex Killorn.
IN REVIEW: 2018-19 REGULAR-SEASON
Team Notes
* The Lightning (68 GP) tied for the second-fewest games to clinch a playoff spot since 2005-06, equaling the 2008-09 Sharks (68 GP on March 15, 2009) and one shy of the 2009-10 Capitals (67 GP on March 11, 2010). In terms of calendar date, Tampa Bay was fastest to clinch in that span (three days earlier than the Capitals).
* Aided by a franchise-record 10-game win streak from Feb. 9-27, the Lightning matched the NHL record for fewest games to 50 wins in a season, improving to 50-12-4 in their 66th game on March 2. The 1995-96 Red Wings also hit 50 wins in 66 games en route to setting theNHL record for wins in a season.
* Tampa Bay became the fourth team in NHL history to require 63 or fewer games to reach the 100-point mark in a season, joining Montreal in 1976-77 (62 GP) and 1977-78 (62 GP) as well as Boston in 1971-72 (63 GP). All three of the previous teams went on to capture the Stanley Cup.
* Tampa Bay aims to win its division for the second straight season and fourth time in franchise history. The Lightning have finished atop their conference twice: in 2003-04 when they won the Stanley Cup and 2017-18 when they reached the Eastern Conference Final.
* The Lightning are on pace to win the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history. Since the trophy first was awarded in 1985-86, eight teams have won it en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup – including only two of the past 15 winners (the 2012-13 Blackhawks and 2007-08 Red Wings). Dating to the League’s founding in 1917-18, 40 teams have finished as both the No. 1 seed in the regular season and as Stanley Cup champions.
* Tampa Bay has held first place in the NHL standings since its 26th game on Nov. 29. Since the 82-game schedule was introduced in 1995-96, only three teams have occupied first place in the League from their 26th game or earlier until the end of the season: the 1998-99 Stars, 2001-02 Red Wings and 2007-08 Red Wings. Each of those clubs finished the campaign by hoisting the Stanley Cup.
* This is Tampa Bay’s third season with 50 or more wins (also 50 in 2014-15 and 54 in 2017-18) and sixth with at least 100 points. The franchise record for points in one campaign is 113, achieved last season.
* The Lightning have earned 28 home victories in 2018-19 (with five home contests remaining), four from matching the single-season franchise record set in 2014-15 (32-8-1). The NHL record for most home wins in the regular season and playoffs combined is 42, a mark set by the 1975-76 Flyers and matched by the 1995-96 Red Wings.
* The Lightning had a 16-game point streak from Nov. 29 – Jan 3 (14-0-2), two games shy of the franchise record set from Feb. 5 – March 12, 2004 (14-0-4). Eleven teams have posted a regular-season point streak of at least 16 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup, including the Lightning with their 18-game run before their first championship in 2004.
* With 14 games remaining, the Lightning lead the NHL in power-play percentage (29.0%) and penalty kill percentage (85.6%). Since 1977-78 when those statistics were first officially tracked, only one team has ended a season as the leader in both categories: the 2015-16 Ducks (PP%: 23.1 % and PK%: 87.2%).
Player Notes
* On Feb. 21 against Buffalo, Nikita Kucherov picked up his 100th point in just his 62nd game of 2018-19 to become the fastest player to hit the century mark since Mario Lemieux in 1996-97 (61 GP). Kucherov has led the League in points since Dec. 27, currently pacing all players with 31-77—108 – tied for the most points in franchise history – as he aims to join Martin St. Louis (2003-04 and 2012-13) as the only Lightning players to win the Art Ross Trophy.
* Louis Domingue posted an 11-game win streak from Nov. 29, 2018 – Feb. 19, 2019 to establish a franchise record for longest winning streak by a goaltender, nearly matched by Andrei Vasilevskiy from Feb. 9 – March 5 (10-0-0). Tampa Bay became the first team in NHL history to have multiple goalies each post a double-digit win streak in the same season.
