Over the course of the pre-season and the first two games of the regular season, it is evident that this version of the Tampa Bay Lightning is a work in progress.
With multiple bodies from last season either gone or injured, opportunities are there to be had by newcomers. One thing that is evident is the forward group up front is constantly being shuffled in the hopes that effective combinations can be found.
Even the one line that we thought would stick this season, the fourth line, has already been split up. For now, Corey Perry has left his spot with Pat Maroon and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare behind to bump up to play with Vlad Namestnikov and Ross Colton.
Breaking up this fourth line has been an idea that has been floated around in the name of speed. With Perry being the highest skilled player between Maroon and Bellemare, that made him the most likely candidate to slide up.
The Lightning may have found something with this third line as well after the trio combined for six points on Friday night in Columbus.
The @TBLightning 3rd line showing out! 💪#NHL | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/CfRl2luFcn
— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) October 15, 2022
Colton recorded a goal and an assist and Perry and Namestnikov also connected on the second power play unit for the first goal of the game.
What may be true at the bottom of the lineup is also true at the top as the Lightning are still trying to make things work in the top six. We saw the star-studded line of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov together in the opener. But with the desire to create a balanced lineup, this was unlikely to stick in the long run.
Brandon Hagel was given a shot on the top line Friday and on Saturday night in Pittsburgh it could very well be somebody else. This just goes to show that we will keep seeing different combinations until some true consistency is found.
How we stack up tonight 👇 #TBLvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/Oa4gfaDNLZ
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 14, 2022