The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the hottest team recently, but that fleeting title may now belong to the Utah Mammoth.
With their 15-game point streak behind them, the Lightning aim to make a strong push toward the Olympic break when they open a six-game homestand Monday against the streaking Mammoth.
It all went south for the Lightning on Saturday night in Columbus after the Blue Jackets’ Cole Sillinger scored just under six minutes in.
The Eastern Conference game became a battle the rest of the way, though coach Jon Cooper’s team managed a 4-4 tie in the second period.
The result was an explosive 8-5 Columbus win that snapped Tampa Bay’s 15-game point streak, which included an 11-game winning streak. The run helped the team move near the top of the Atlantic Division standings, just a point behind the Detroit Red Wings.
“It’s tough,” Cooper said. “You come in here — you circle some games on the calendar, and we’ve circled some games where we’re like, ‘We should win this one. We have to get some points out of this.’ And there are some you know it’s a little bit more of a grind.”
Cooper said he was not going to “shadow over the fact” that his team collected 29 out of a possible 30 points.
“At some point, a team’s going to beat you,” Cooper added. “They’ve got a good squad over there. … This’ll be an easy (game) to turn the page and move on to the homestretch here.”
Now the Mammoth hold the title as possibly the hottest team in the league, with a five-game win streak and a nine-game point streak, a stretch that has propelled them to the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Utah has accumulated 58 points as the wild-card leader, three points ahead of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings.
In starting their four-game trip Saturday, the Mammoth improved to 12-13-2 on the road with a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators in a matchup that began early due to the approaching cold front.
JJ Peterka’s final tally tied Nick Schmaltz for second on the team with 18 goals when he was awarded a tally on a breakaway attempt toward an empty net. Dylan Guenther leads with 24 goals, and Clayton Keller has posted a team-high 50 points.
Utah coach Andre Tourigny said balance has been key to his group’s success.
“We have pace defensively and we’re applying a lot of pressure,” said Tourigny. “A lot of your defense is offense, (too). It’s your possessions and how much you can keep your opponent 200 feet from your net. I think it’s a balance in our game.
“If you look around us, everybody’s winning. … We’re in the big race, and there are a lot of teams applying for that job.”
On Nov. 2 in Salt Lake City, the Lightning won the first meeting 4-2 behind 25 saves by backup goaltender Jonas Johansson, who surrendered six goals on 29 shots in Columbus.
–Field Level Media
