The Tampa Bay Lightning have been stumbling for much of this season, to the point where even a tough loss sometimes prompted quite a bit of optimism. We’ve wondered if they were starting to figure things out before, only to see them take a step back.
Still, those positive quotes are trickling out again after the Lightning fought back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Thursday.
“We’re trending upward,” Brian Boyle said, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith. “But we still need to make up some ground. We’ve got to go on a run.”
It’s tougher to scoff at the Lightning looking at the glass as half-full when you see the sort of things Jonathan Drouin can accomplish:
As the Bolts note, even Drouin’s empty-netters are fun to watch.
Even his empty-netters are beautiful. #STLvsTBL pic.twitter.com/avzF4TPsaV
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 23, 2016
On a side note, Wade Megan didn’t just make his remarkable debut for the Blues. He also scored in his first NHL game:
Perhaps the Lightning can echo Megan’s career arc and show that they won’t give up.