Lightning make logical choice with lineup vs Kraken after James, Lilleberg return

Two players on the mend will make their return to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Head coach Jon Cooper, according to the Tampa Bay Times, said that Dominic James and Emil Lilleberg will play in the upcoming game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Gage Goncalves and Charle-Eduord D’Astous will be out of the lineup. 

For James, this will be his season debut, and he’s finished his recovery from a broken hand. He’s been skating with the team for the last few days since returning from playing with the Syracuse Crunch over the weekend. 

Lilleberg had been absent since the Lightning win over the Capitals, his only game so far this season. 

Lightning lineup sees shuffle, but wisely keep structure

During the morning skate, James was on a line as the center with Conor Geekie and Jeffery Viel. Lilleberg and D’Astrous were paired together. 

The latter obviously isn’t happening because D’Astous is out of the lineup. In the one game he played in, Lilleberg was partnered with Victor Hedman. In the interim, Hedman has been partnered with Max Crozier. 

According to PuckPedia, Lilleberg is listed as the seventh skater on defense, and Hedman and Crozier are still paired together. 

Lilleberg played in 50 games last season, tallying 12 points. Two of his four goals were game-winners. On defense, he blocked 45 shots and made 96 hits. He brings a physical presence to the Lightning, and at times, he provides a clutch goal.

The expectation of seven defensemen could also impact how the offense is lined up with James. According to PuckPedia, James is set to be in the bottom five skaters of the lineup alongside Conor Geekie. 

Since Jame hasn’t played this season, we’ll see how he helps elevate that part of the offense. 

It makes sense that the Lightning are sticking with a 11 and seven lineup. It’s worked. Apart from the two games against the Rangers, where nothing worked, they’ve won four games going with this structure. 

There’s no reason for them to change things up because James is back. He can simply help fortify a lineup of 11 forwards. When Cooper sees the need to go back to 12 and six, he'll make that decision. 

Knowing how well James performed down the stretch of the season, he can be expected to make a solid impact. During his final 12 games of the regular season, he posted seven points. In the seven-game series against the Montreal Canadiens, he scored two goals and recorded an assist.

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