Both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings can reminisce a bit about better times that happened not that long ago. Winning tonight could help one of them inch a little closer to those glory days.
Things aren’t as dire for the Kings.
At the moment, they have a loose grip on the first wild card spot out West, and games in hand are to their advantage. It’s not exactly a bullet-proof position, but all things considered, they’re surviving.
The Lightning must continue to wrestle with questions regarding their relevance, at least as far as the 2016-17 season goes. Their 52 points in 53 games isn’t catastrophic - look at the Avalanche and their 30 out West - it’s still bad enough that the Bolts are ranked last in the East.
Is it time to punt or should they keep fighting for the playoffs? Nights like these could make an impact on such decisions.
You can watch the action on NBCSN, online and via the NBC Sports App.