The Strange Case of the Lightning's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
- Mike Smith
- Apr 5
- 6 min read
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
In Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," a scientist creates a potion to separate his good side from his evil impulses. The result is catastrophic, as the main character struggles with his monstrous alter ego and eventually succumbs to the evil that leads to their shared destruction.
Welcome to the post-Olympic Break Tampa Bay Lightning hockey, in a way eerily similar to Stevenson's classic tale.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had their fair share of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" moments since returning to the ice at the end of February. The Bolts entered the break as successful as the young scientist at the start of the literary masterpiece.
They were riding a huge wave of momentum, with an 18-1-1 streak and a six-point lead in the Atlantic Division. Add a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the returning game on February 25th, and the Bolts found themselves atop the entire Eastern Conference.
Then a "potion" kicked in that sent the Lightning down a path just as it did for Dr. Jekyll. Losing seven of nine games, Tampa Bay found itself four points out of first place to the Buffalo Sabres in the Atlantic Division and falling fast.
What's In That Potion?
The recent struggles for the Lightning are simple, yet complex. This is the NHL, "The Show." Premiere hockey played by the best athletes in the sport. Yet, with anyone doing anything, hockey players are also infallible and have their issues.
The Lightning players, notwithstanding. The "Dr. Jekyll" of pre-Olympic Break slowly devolved into the monstrous alter ego with the letdown they would have hoped to avoid.
Even though they beat Toronto 4-2 on February 25th, the Lightning's "Mr. Hyde" seemed to arrive in the second period with lethargic play, and has remained in a constant state of flux the past few weeks.
The team has had stretches where they've been out of sync, leading to too many scoring chances and goals allowed for their opponents.
Six of their ten losses the past month have been double-digit losses. The Bolts scored seven goals against division-rival Buffalo on March 8th and still lost, giving up eight.
Tampa Bay has also struggled to clear the defensive zone. Spending too much time in their own end has led to extended ice time and defensive breakdowns. Something has to give, and with opposing teams allowed to apply a slow squeeze, something inevitably will.
The Lightning have also been caught chasing the puck too much in their own zone and not "staying home."
As an example, Jordan Spence was able to score for the Ottawa Senators when JJ Moser and Darren Raddysh chased Michael Amadio and left Spence wide open behind the play. Collapsing on one player and leaving others open can cause havoc on the scoresheet.
Spence scored on an empty net.
The Lightning have also started out slow throughout the season; the trend has been of note the past few weeks. At one point, they found themselves down by two goals in four consecutive games and had to fight back for wins (with the exception of the Calgary loss).
Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the best goalies in the world. However, as his defense has struggled, so has the Russian phenom. Soft goals have led to lopsided losses and have frustrated Vasilevskiy in recent weeks, also facing high-danger situations due to defensive breakdowns.
He continues to make key plays, but his defense has not been the force he needs them to be when both the defensive system and the safety net that is Vasilevskiy wobble, goals pile up.
Another challenge has been at the faceoff circle. Tampa Bay has lost the faceoff battle in seven of its last 10 games. Fortunately, they have lost only two of those seven games: the 4-3 overtime loss to Calgary and a 4-1 home loss to Montreal.
Lightning Working Hard to Overcome the Mr. Hyde Effect
Despite the Lightning's "Mr. Hyde" moments, their "Dr. Jekyll" attributes find them in control of their own destiny.
Saturday afternoon, Tampa Bay clinched its ninth straight playoff appearance when the Detroit Red Wings lost to the New York Rangers. The Bolts can win the Atlantic Division with a strong finish in the next 10 days.
Overcoming the string of losses following the Olympic Break, Tampa Bay has continued to stack points like thunderclaps. They hit the 100-point mark Thursday night with a convincing 6-3 against Pittsburgh at Benchmark International Arena.
Nikita Kucherov continues his amazing run for the Art Ross Trophy. As of Saturday night, Kucherov trailed Edmonton's Connor McDavid by two with 126 points. Before missing two games due to illness last week, the Bolts forward racked up 95 points in 45 games.
When they have had defensive issues, they have also found ways to score from unlikely sources. Darren Raddysh broke the team records for goals by a defenseman on Saturday night when he scored his 21st goal against Boston.
Anthony Cirelli earned the second hat trick of his career against Pittsburgh this week. Despite missing time this season, Brandon Hagel is hitting career-level production with 35 goals and 38 assists for a total of 73 points.
Jake Guentzel is having one of the best seasons of his career. With 76 games under his belt this season, Guentzel has tied his point production from 2021-22 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 84 points (36 goals and 48 assists).
There is no doubt that injuries have been a factor this season. However, Tampa Bay has stepped up and filled in the gaps left by the injury bug. Injuries are a part of the game. The Bolts continue to grow stronger as other teams with similar physical issues, such as the Florida Panthers, who were eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend, drop like flies.
Who Shows Up Come Playoff Time
Despite all the challenges of the 2025-26 season, including a 1-4-2 start to begin the year, the Lightning will be back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs later this month. The question remains: who will take center stage in the first round?
Will it be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?
No matter where they finish in the standings, they will face a formidable foe on the way to winning another Stanley Cup. Whether it's Montreal, Boston, or Buffalo, the Atlantic Division is ripe with talent, and the Metropolitan Division isn't full of slouches, either.
The momentum Tampa Bay is building now is like adding kindling to a unlit bonfire stack of wood, and the Lightning's stack is getting pretty big as they find ways to win.
While the defense has had issues, the recent trend is that Raddysh, Charle-Edouard D'Astous, and the rest of the blue liners are finding their way and making the plays they need to start making.
They hold the key to success. Defense wins championships, and the Stanley Cup is no different.
Think of the Lightning right now as a storm that has briefly flickered and is now rebuilding charge. The defense isn't perfect, but the offense is humming, the depth is contributing, the comebacks are real, and their foothold in the standings is strong.
That combination makes them very uncomfortable to face in a seven-game series.
There are six more games left in the regular season, and an Atlantic Division title is on the line. There's plenty to play for over the next two weeks. Monday's game in Buffalo will especially give a hint of which side of Tampa Bay's personality will hold the cards.
Allowing Mr. Hyde a spot on the Lightning bench will result in another quick exit from the playoffs. Exorcise Mr. Hyde from the game plan, and the Lightning will go far on their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup this spring.
This story has the makings of being a classic, with the hope that the protagonist enjoys a happy ending.
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