Tampa Bay Lightning: Reliving The Top 5 Moments Of 2016

5. Drouin Emerges As A Scoring Threat In The Playoffs

After what seemed like a disastrous end to their relationship at the start of 2016, Jonathan Drouin and the Tampa Bay Lightning tied up some loose ends during the second half of last season, and Drouin became a threat for the Lightning during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year.

Tampa Bay Lightning

If you don’t recall the dramatic saga between him and the organization, Drouin didn’t feel like he was being used properly by head coach Jon Cooper, and as a result, he would either be scratched or receive less playing time.

This also prompted General Manager Steve Yzerman to send down the young Drouin to the AHL so that he could receive more ice time with the Syracuse Crunch.

However, even that wasn’t enough to convince Drouin that he’d “find his game” and work his way back up to the Lightning. The 20-year-old Quebec native, at the time, and his agent, Allan Walsh, requested that he be traded to another team, but Yzerman didn’t cave in and stayed true to his will for Drouin.

Once the Feb. 29 trade deadline passed, no deal was reached, and it appeared he would stay with the Lightning for the time being. In hindsight, that couldn’t have been a better blessing for the organization.

Going back in time a bit, on Jan. 20, while the Tampa Bay Lightning were in the midst of a seven-game win streak, Drouin opted to not play in a game against the Toronto Marlies with the Crunch. As a result, Tampa Bay suspended Drouin indefinitely without pay, hoping that he would reflect on the situation and see what he wanted to do going forward.

He returned to the Lightning in April right before the playoffs began, and the rest is history. Drouin scored five goals and had 14 points in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and he scored some key goals for the Lightning during their chase for the Cup in 2016. As for this season, he’s a mainstay in the lineup, and you’ll see him on the ice almost every night, when he’s not injured, of course.

4. Lightning Complete The “Reverse Sweep” Of The Islanders

The 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs were a roller coaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and each round had its memorable moments that we still bring up today. In particular, the second round against the New York Islanders was memorable, as the Lightning came back from a 1-0 deficit in the series, after losing game one at home, and won the next four games to move on.

It seemed like the Lightning was outplayed in nearly every game except game five, but the team found a way to get it done. Tampa Bay won both games on the road at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, both of which ended in overtime. Not to forget, the Bolts were without two of their top players in captain Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman during the entire series.

In Game 3 in Brooklyn, forward Brian Boyle was the overtime hero, and he won the game in the extra period to give the Lightning a 5-4 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

The next game of the series also went into OT, and with the game tied at 1-1, an unlikely hero, defenseman Jason Garrison, scored the game-winning goal just over a minute into the period. His goal won the game for the Lightning and gave them a commanding 3-1 series lead, allowing them to clinch the series on home ice.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would go on to shutout the Islanders in game five by a score of 4-0, and goaltender Ben Bishop earned another elimination game shutout. Following their series win, the Lightning advanced on to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.

3. The Lightning’s Nine-Game Winning Streak (Feb. 18 – March 3)

The first half of the 2015-16 regular season started off slow, and the Tampa Bay Lightning struggled to put together back-to-back wins all the way through the end of December. But, once January 2017 rolled around, the Lightning hit a hot streak and it was smooth sailing from there, for the most part.

It all started with a tough loss to the Calgary Flames on a cold night in Alberta, and following that 3-1 loss to the Flames, the Lightning had a team meeting in their hotel on that four-game road trip at the time. The team regrouped and rolled off three straight wins on the remainder of that trip and won four more on home ice. It seemed that everything was finally coming together for Tampa Bay.

Following that seven-game streak that ended in a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 23, the Lightning reeled off a few more wins and losses before hitting another hot streak that began on Feb. 18 after a 6-5 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets at the Amalie Arena. It was that win that would start a streak launching the Lightning closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

During that streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road and beat the Carolina Hurricanes twice, including an overtime goal by forward Alex Killorn, who helped set the new franchise record for consecutive wins at nine games. It was a thrilling game and a thrilling way to get the Lightning back into the playoff picture.

No. 2 – Tyler Johnson “Butt Goal” in OT of Game 5

For the second consecutive season, the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals, and in 2016, they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round for the first time. The two teams met in a first-round playoff series back in 2011 when the Lightning advanced in seven games after falling behind three games to one.

Tampa Bay Lightning

This Conference Final round featured many exciting and thrilling moments, and some disheartening moments as well. In case you may have forgotten, goaltender Ben Bishop went down in game one with a lower-body injury, and he was out for the remainder of the series. This allowed backup netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy to step up and show his true talents on a larger stage.

Vasilevskiy faced nearly 40 shots a game (not exact) throughout the series, and he certainly put on a show for Lightning fans. In addition, Anton Stralman returned during the series after missing most of the playoffs, as did Stamkos, who returned to the ice in the deciding seventh game. As such, the Lightning were playing with some of their top players out of the lineup against a hot Penguins team.

Though the Lightning would eventually lose in game seven by a 2-1 score, there were still some memorable moments during that series. One of those moments happened in the first overtime period of game five in Pittsburgh when defenseman Jason Garrison shot the puck towards the net, which happened to deflect off of forward Tyler Johnson‘s backside and go past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Johnson was officially credited with that goal, and it was one of the more unusual scores in recent playoff memory. His goal won the game for the Lightning, and it gave them a 3-2 series lead going back to Amalie Arena for a potentially deciding game six. Johnson’s goal was one of the more memorable moments of 2016, and it’s something that we can look back on for years to come.

1.  Lightning Re-sign Franchise Players In Stamkos and Hedman

Leading up to last summer’s free agency period, the Tampa Bay Lightning had several important matters to think about and shore up before the free agent frenzy began on July 1. Most importantly, captain Steven Stamkos was set to become a free agent, and for most of the prior year, there was a ton of speculation surrounding where he would go or if he would stay.

Tampa Bay Lightning

We here at Bolts By The Bay even speculated on where the Lightning’s beloved leader could go other than the Lightning. It was a tedious period of time, and some of the rumors thrown out there were just plain ridiculous. Ultimately, just days before he was set to hit free agency, Stamkos made his decision and decided to stay with the team that drafted him first overall in 2008.

News of his signing spread around the hockey world, and some fans were upset that he wanted to stay with the Lightning. On June 29, Stamkos re-signed for another eight years, and he will remain with the team long-term. The 26-year-old captain expressed his excitement with the opportunity to play in Tampa for eight more years, and many of the fans expressed the same feeling.

Additionally, the Tampa Bay Lightning were able to re-sign another franchise pillar in defenseman Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay signed Hedman to an eight-year contract on the first day of free agency, and as such, they have two key franchise pieces locked in long-term. Though signing these two players, and others, this past summer created a bit of a salary cap crunch, it was well-worth it.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Hope To Start Off 2017 On The Right Skate

Though there may not have been a Stanley Cup Championship for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, there were certainly some memorable moments last year. Not all of those moments made it onto this list, but rest assured, they were just as exciting and noteworthy as the others. We hope that 2017 is also a memorable year for the Lightning, and who knows, maybe a championship is in the writing.