The Tampa Bay Lightning left on Wednesday for a three-game road trip in California, but it’s still unclear if they’ll have their top offseason acquisition available.
After a solid first half, the Lightning will face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday to complete their season series, with rookie star Macklin Celebrini also in the mix as part of the Western swing.
However, Jake Guentzel’s status remains uncertain.
In the offseason, the Lightning faced a tough choice: re-sign aging captain Steven Stamkos or find a new scoring option. They said goodbye to Stamkos, trading with the Carolina Hurricanes for the 30-year-old Guentzel before free agency began. Tampa Bay then signed him to a seven-year, $63 million contract to fill the void left by Stamkos.
After a slow start on a line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, Guentzel has turned things around with 20 goals and 17 assists in 33 games. But, during a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday, he took a hard hit into the boards and did not return. He was also scratched for the game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
“There’s been improvements since a couple games ago, so hopefully that continues and see what happens,” coach Jon Cooper said at practice on Tuesday.
Guentzel practiced in a non-contact jersey but skated with the top line. If he can’t play Thursday, Cam Atkinson would likely take his spot. Atkinson, a 13-year NHL veteran who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers, has three goals and two assists in 21 games for Tampa Bay.
On Dec. 5, the Lightning beat San Jose 8-1, with a five-goal first period. Point finished with four assists in that game.
The Sharks, on the other hand, have had a rough December. After a dreadful 0-7-2 start to the season, they showed some improvement but then went 2-10-1 in December. They are currently on an eight-game losing streak (0-7-1), with a 4-0 loss to the Flyers on New Year’s Eve.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky was frustrated after the loss, saying there was “no desperation” from his team. He noted that other teams are now figuring out their identity, and San Jose needs to match that intensity.
“It’s very disappointing. No desperation,” Warsofsky said. “And now you’re seeing teams find their identity in this league. Earlier on, I think we were probably catching teams by surprise. Now teams, this is full go.”
The Sharks are in last place with a .350 point percentage, ahead of only the struggling Blackhawks (.342). San Jose has played a league-high 40 games in the Western Conference but has earned fewer points than all but Chicago.
Despite playing fewer games, Celebrini leads all rookies with 12 goals, tied with Matvei Michkov of Philadelphia.
San Jose is missing forward William Eklund (seven goals, 20 assists), who was placed on injured reserve before the Philadelphia game. They called up 22-year-old Collin Graf from the AHL San Jose Barracuda, though he did not play against the Flyers.
