Hot and Cold Starts After Thirteen Games

Cold Starts:

With hot starts, there will be cold starts, and there are unfortunately a few on the Lightning that should start playing better in no time.

The Fourth Line:

This is the only one that will be grouped together but that’s for a reason. Unlike the hot starts with the first line, which were all for different reasons, there seem to be a lot of similarities between the issues going on with the fourth line. The first big issue is that they’re all at a +/- of -5.

For a line that was seen as underrated last season, they sure don’t look that way this season. In comparison, these same players had a +20 on average last season. Another issue is that Corey Perry is the only one scoring, but that’s mainly on the powerplay.

Lastly, age is catching up to these guys. With Pierre-Edouard Bellemare at 37, Pat Maroon at 34, and Corey Perry at 37, this line is definitely not young, and it’s unfortunately showing.

Cole Koepke: 11GP, 0G, 0A, 0P

The point totals say it all. Koepke is having a very rough time at the beginning of his career. Nobody expected him to get more than five points to start off the beginning of the season but with zero points with the season 15% done already, that’s not a great sign. Keep a close look at any roster moves the Lightning make, as there’s a strong likelihood that Anthony Cirelli will replace Koepke in the lineup once healthy.

Cal Foote: 9GP, 1G, 0A, 1P

This is not a player anyone was hoping would be on this list, but here we are. After a very disappointing start to the season, Cal Foote has been a healthy scratch for the last two games.

Foote looked like he’d have a solid place on the roster after a solid playoff year, but that hasn’t been the case. Defensemen take a while to really make their mark on a team, so hopefully this cold streak doesn’t last long.