TORONTO -- The Tampa Bay Lightning were the hottest team in the NHL into early February, ripping off an impressive 19-1-1 run.
Then came the three-week Olympic break, seemingly an inopportune time for a group on such an stellar roll.
Surely a momentum buster, right?
Has time eroded all that feel-good mojo?
Not so, according to J.J. Moser.
“No, I don’t think this team allows itself to get out of its groove,” the Lightning defenseman told reporters in Tampa on Tuesday. “We’re doing things and have built a culture that is built on consistency.
“That’s not going to change whether we’ve had a break or not.”
On Wednesday, Moser’s stance will be put to the test when the NHL returns to action with a divisional matchup between the Lightning and the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS), a game that will be broadcast nationally in both the United States and Canada.
Here’s some perspective on how good Tampa Bay has been.
On Dec. 18, the Lightning lost 2-1 to the visiting Los Angeles Kings. In the ensuing 68 days, their only defeats were a 3-2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues and an 8-5 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, each on the road.
In the process, the Lightning (37-14-4) have rocketed into first place in the Atlantic Division, six points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. Included in those victories was a 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins in front of 64,617 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series on Feb. 1, a game in which the Lightning made the biggest comeback in franchise history by erasing a 5-1 deficit.
That was captain Victor Hedman’s first game since Dec. 9 when he injured his elbow against the Canadiens, an ailment he subsequently had surgery for. In his absence, the surging Lightning went 20-3-2.
Hedman then missed Team Sweden’s 2-1 loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 because of a lower-body injury sustained during warmups. Any fears that he might be out of the Lightning lineup for the foreseeable future were eliminated, however, by Hedman and assistant coach Rob Zettler, who said Tuesday the Tampa Bay captain would play against Toronto.
“Now the focus is on this group in here,” Hedman said. “It feels great to be back.
“Finally starting to feel like myself again, so it’s good.”
Hedman said there are no issues flipping the switch from the Olympics back to the NHL.
“Full focus on this,” he said. “We’ve got 27 games in 50 days, so there’s not a whole lot to wait for.
“We’ve got to be ready from the start. Divisional opponent coming in, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Especially with center Brayden Point in the mix again.
The veteran center left with an undisclosed injury after scoring a power-play goal at 4:29 of the second period in a 5-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 12 and has not played since. He was one of the original six players selected to Team Canada in June but was unable to play in Milan.
Now, Zettler said he’s ready to go and will play against a Maple Leafs team that is desperate for a win.
