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Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper's 594 career wins entering Wednesday's game mark the most by an NHL coach through their first 1,000 games with a single team. Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports By Ernie Norquist | Thunderstruck Sports Coaching 1,000 games in the NHL is rare. Doing it with one organization is rarer still. With today’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, Jon Cooper reaches that milestone behind the bench of the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming

By Ernie Norquist Thunderstruck Sports Stars drive headlines in the regular season. They always have. In Tampa Bay, elite skill carries the load from October through March, piling up points and pulling the Lightning through the grind. But when the calendar flips and the ice tightens, history points to a different truth. Championships are rarely decided by stars alone. They are shaped by the lines that absorb pressure, steal momentum, and make games uncomfortable. That is wher

Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports The Lightning faced off today against the Montreal Canadiens. For the Bolts, it was going to be a challenge coming off a physically exhausting game against the Florida Panthers last night . The Canadiens, meanwhile, were a well-rested team, having not played since December 23rd (5 days ago). The Bolts looked solid for two periods, but the fatigue factor kicked in for the third. Tampa Bay almost held on for a regulation win, b

The most recent match between one of the fastest growing rivalries in the NHL is on tap. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers isn't just the an interstate rivalry. Not only are these the two teams that call the state of Florida home but these two also represent four of the last six Stanley Cup winners. Tonight, the battle rages on. In the first period, the Lightning didn't look rusty at all despite not having played since last Monday. They were buzzing in the Pan

By Ernie Norquist Thunderstruck Sports Watching the IIHF World Junior Championship, it’s easy to get swept up in the skill on display. The pace is relentless, the confidence unmistakable, and the talent undeniable. History, however, offers a quieter reminder. Only a small handful of those players will make an immediate impact at the NHL level, and most will require years before they are truly ready. That gap between promise and readiness is where organizations are built or br

By Ernie Norquist Thunderstruck Sports Nothing about this Lightning season has been static. Not the lines, not the pairings, not even the rhythm from week to week. Injuries have driven constant change, shuffling combinations and pushing players into unfamiliar roles, sometimes nightly. Yet through all that movement, the Tampa Bay Lightning have maintained a remarkably consistent story on the scoreboard. When Tampa wins, it tends to take control and push the game into open ice

Graphic: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Before this hockey season began, the writers from the Thunderstruck Sports team gave our predictions for this year's Atlantic Division. Many things have not gone quite as expected in this hotly contested division! So, as the midway point of the season approaches, we examined our earlier predictions and updated as needed. What changed? What stayed the same? Check out our midseason predictions, updates, and surprises! Mike Smith-- Assi

By Riley Gillespie-Wilson | Thunderstruck Sports Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports It's safe to say that in the Tampa Bay Lightning's last game , neither they nor their coach, Jon Cooper, were overly thrilled with their first period effort. The Carolina Hurricanes wasted no time building a substantial 3-0 lead, and the Bolts were far from playing a spirited brand of winning hockey. Final score? 6-4 Lightning after an explosive comeback. What next? A fresh slat

By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Brayden Point celebrates his sixth goal of the season with teammates Saturday night at Benchmark International Arena. Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports Jake Guentzel scored twice as the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-4, Saturday night at Benchmark International Arena. Ryan McDonagh added two points as the Bolts erased a three-goal lead mounted by Carolina. The comeback by Tampa Bay was the

By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Adrian Kempe scored twice in the second period to rally the Los Angeles Kings past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, at Benchmark International Arena Thursday night. Anton Forsberg stopped 31 shots as the Kings broke a four-game losing streak. The Lightning have now lost three in a row , and seven of their last ten. Oliver Bjorkstrad started the Bolts off on a strong note with a goal 12:54 int

Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko| Thunderstruck Sports It's safe to say that the Florida Panthers have been the nemesis of the Tampa Bay Lightning the past few seasons. Although the Lightning have managed a few good games against their in-state rivals, those good games almost always seem to take place on the road in Sunrise . The Panthers have basically owned the Lightning in Tampa, and last night was no different. Panthers Start Quickly The Panthers started this game as they oft

A After two losses against the New York Islanders last week, the Lightning face this foe for the third time in 11 days. In the final matchup of the season between these two teams, the Lightning can't win the season series but today is an opportunity for redemption for the visitors. During the two previous wins, Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin has played lights out. He's given up one goal in two games. Can the Lightning break this spell Sorokin has on them and redeem at least o

Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Following a frustrating start to December, the Bolts built on a dominant win in Montreal with an 8-4 victory over the New jersey Devils on Thursday night. The Devils tried to rally late, but the explosive offense of the Lighting was too much to overcome.   Nick Paul got the Bolts, who lead the NHL in first period goal differential, off to a fast start once again as he capitalized on a turnover by New Jersey in their own end. H

By Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports Benchmark International Arena, as seen from the intersection of Nebraska and Cumberland Shooting a hockey game is a unique experience: it is one of the fastest, most intense sports in the world...even at the local beer league level. Prior to October, that was the extent of my action photography experience. Unsurprisingly, shooting a professional hockey game amplifies that speed and intensity to an almost unbelievable level. Lowepro came

After being shutout for two consecutive games the goals were a plenty helping end the four-game losing streak and re-ignite the team in the process. Jake Guentzel would net his 600th career point and Jonas Johansson answered the call for a second consecutive night in a much-needed victory. The sweet sound of scoring a goal Lightning executed the puck poorly in front of their net which nearly gave Montreal the early lead. For the first time in two games Tampa Bay finally score

Derek Caldwell- Thunderstruck Sports-- It was another shutout against the Lightning, this time at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs by the score of 2-0. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov both reentered the Tampa lineup, but that didn't change the lackluster offense of the Lightning during this four game skid. The Lightning came out firing early, but Dennis Hildeby was game for every attempt the Bolts put on net. The early onslaught from Tampa became the foundation of the

By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Ilya Sorokin makes a crucial save on a Brandon Hagel wrist shot on his way to shutting out the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night. Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports Ilya Sorokin saved all 32 shots aimed at him, and Calum Ritchie netted the decisive goal late in the game, leading the New York Islanders to a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The loss marked the third straight defeat for the Bolts, with two of those l

By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports Nikita Kucherov readies a slap shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins that momentarily tied the game with 55 seconds to play Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports For Tampa Bay Lightning fans, Thursday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins left a truly sour taste in the palette. Scores of social media posts from pundits and fans alike flew across the internet into the wee hours

Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko| Thunderstruck Sports The Tampa Bay Lightning's 7-game win streak is in the rear -view mirror now. They have now lost consecutive games for the first time since October 23rd. Despite a valiant comeback effort, the Bolts fell short in the end. Special teams' struggles were a major problem for the boys in blue tonight. Their power play continues to be a source of frustration. In this game, their normally top-notch penalty kill also struggled to conta

For the Tampa Bay Lightning seemingly everything has been going right on-route to a seven-game win streak. While there were a lot of positives on Tuesday night, a road battle with the Islanders saw the streak finally come to its end. The first period certainly had some of the good, the bad and the ugly for the Bolts. The contest was kicked off with a shift of Tampa Bay pressure, spurred by the combination of Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. The trio were bu