Guentzel Quietly Builds Solid Start to Season as Lightning Head West
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
While Brandon Hagel, Victor Hedman, and Nikita Kucherov have dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning's headlines in the first eight games of the season, forward Jake Guentzel has quietly put together a solid start and become a major factor in the Bolts' 6-2-0 record.
Guentzel doesn't seek the spotlight or look for the perfect shot. He simply brings hard work every shift and looks for opportunities to put the puck in the back of the opposition's net.
Unassuming, nonchalant, deadly.
In eight games, Guentzel has earned nine points with four goals and five assists, including the game-winning goal in the Lightning's comeback win over the Vancouver Canucks Saturday evening at Benchmark International Arena.
Guentzel has three multi-point games, 20 shots on goal, and is averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. He has six points over the last five games.
Compare that with Hagel (6G, 5A, 11pts) and Kucherov (3G ,7A, 10pts), and Guentzel is on par with the team's best.
That's nothing new for the 32-year-old out of Omaha, Nebraska.
Since joining the Lightning in 2024-25, the 2026 Olympic gold medalist has 83 goals, 94 assists, and 177 points. Entering his third season as a Bolt, he's quickly secured his spot among the team's elite, all without fanfare.
"He's another super smart player, and you can put him in different positions," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Saturday. "He plays the wing, but he takes a lot of faceoffs for us, and he's like a silent assassin. All of a sudden, you look up, he's pretty quiet, and he's got goals and points. He's just a really, really smart player."
The 'Silent Assassin' will need to continue to build on his strong start as the Lightning look to win out west this week.
Lightning Head West for a Three-game Roadie
The Lightning flew to Nevada Tuesday afternoon to begin a three-game road trip against the Golden Knights, starting tonight at 10 pm ET at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights enter the game with an 8-2-0 record, three points ahead of Edmonton in the Pacific Division. The 2025-26 Western Conference champions are 5-1-0 at home and lead the NHL in goals scored (41).
Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel leads the team with 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points. Mark Stone follows with 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points.
Vegas goalies Carter Hart and Adin Hill have combined for a 2.40 GAA and .906 save percentage.
Tampa Bay has allowed only four goals during the third period this season, tied for the second-fewest in the NHL. The Bolts will need to keep that momentum going tonight against the NHL's top-scoring team.
Cooper knows the importance of coming back to Tampa next week with wins in hand.
“We're 1-2 on the road, and now we're going out west, multiple time zone changes against three teams—I don’t know the combined record of the three teams, but it’s a lot of wins and not very many losses," Cooper said Tuesday. "I think those three teams, you could sit there and put them in a grouping of the class of the West. So this is a legitimate early-season test for us.
Tampa Bay heads to Colorado Friday to face the Avalanche before wrapping up the three-game swing in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth.
Game Notes
Bolts F Nikita Kucherov is four points shy of passing Steven Stamkos to become the franchise’s all-time points leader. He currently has 1,134 points.
Kucherov has a 7-game goal streak vs. Vegas, his longest against any team, tying Cole Caufield (vs. BOS) and Tage Thompson (vs. CGY) for the longest active streak against any team.
Kucherov leads the team in career scoring against Vegas (9G, 17A, 26Pts in 14 GP).
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig played 184 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2005 to 2009 (32G, 31A, 63pts).
The Lightning are 8-5-3 all-time against the Golden Knights, including 4-4-0 on the road.
C Anthony Cirelli needs one assist to reach the 200-assist career mark.
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