How Lightning solves next season’s power game – Hockey Writer – Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Chargers fell in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third straight year. A major factor in playoff exports is their ineffective power play. What needs to be changed before the 2025-26 season?

The power of lightning needs to be reassessed

Throughout the regular season, Lightning efficiency was 25.9% success rate, ranking fifth in the league. Famous players like Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov are huge contributors in the regular season and make the strong play a success. Kucherov had 5 strong goals and 32 strong assists. However, they struggled in the playoffs and seemed to be unable to find an advantage.

In five games against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the Chargers had 18 powerful games with just two scores. One of the main reasons the team struggled in the playoffs was that they were spending too much in the offensive zone. Time and again we see that when lightning passes through the puck too much, it causes turnovers, which is exactly what happened in the playoffs.

Going into next season, Lightning needs to evaluate their attacks on power play and make some adjustments. This adjustment is improving the second powerful unit, which consists of Mitchell Chaffe, Nick Paul, Gage Goncalves, Darren Raddysh and Lightning veteran Nikita Kucherov. Since Lightning relies heavily on the first powerful play unit and depends on the particular player score, the single player advantage becomes too predictable.

The core players need to be more like an amazing force in the playoffs

Senior players like Victor Hedman and newly acquired Yanni Gourde need to be visible during the playoffs. Heardman finished the regular season with 15 goals and 66 points, but the Chargers were invisible in the playoffs. In the first round, he scored a total of three points (all assists). Next season, I hope to see him take on more leadership roles, defend his teammates, and stay motivated in everyone’s game.

Entering the upcoming season, I want to see Goode maintain his high level. Gourde signed a six-year, $14 million contract extension with the team in early June. He was negative 3 in round 1, with an average ice time of 14 minutes per game.

In the power play, it makes Hedman and Gould more obvious. Hedman played in the first Powerball team and Gourde played in the second game.

To make Hedman stronger the team game, I would like to see more of his shots. The powerful defender is known for his ability to block important shots and build critical games when it comes to the edge. Looking to the future, he needs to be selfish with hockey. This will enable more scoring opportunities and limit the opportunities for opponent teams to intervene.

To improve strength, Gould needs to improve efficiency in front of the network during the team’s strong game opportunities. As we all know, Gould appears in critical situations. He is not afraid to be aggressive in front of him, and he is known for his ability to create opportunities for his team when he is superior.

Lightning’s strong competitive coach needs to be upgraded

To succeed in a power match, Lightning needs to reevaluate their attack style. One way is to make changes to the coaching staff. A good option for Lightning is to add veteran assistant coach Glen Gulutzan, with the emphasis on power. He has recently worked with the Edmonton Oilers and is responsible for the team’s strength game. Adding him to the Lightning will make both power play units efficient and well managed, especially with puck control in the defensive zone. He helped the Oilers succeed in the power play. During the 2024-25 season, the percentage of the oilman’s power effect was 23.7%. Adding an assistant coach who specializes in strong competitions will be beneficial for Lightning as the team needs to do hockey control on hockey control, create effective regional entries, and make good decisions in front of the network.

Despite the success of the Lightning in the regular season, they struggled after the playoffs began. The team must make adjustments to prepare for the upcoming season, especially in their Powers strategy and reform its second powers game.