Summary
The Tampa Bay Lightning return to Madison Square Garden tonight looking to extend their four-game winning streak and erase the memory of a 5-1 season-opening loss to the New York Rangers. On today's Daily Strike, Steve Versnick previews the second meeting of the season between two of the NHL's hottest teams and examines how the Bolts have transformed their game over the past 12 days. Hear from Ryan McDonagh on how Tampa Bay's game has evolved since Opening Night, while Zemgus Girgensons discusses whether facing the same opponent twice in such a short span changes the approach. The Lightning also spent Monday's practice focusing heavily on special teams after scoring power-play goals in back-to-back games following an 0-for-15 start to the season. The Rangers will be without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is sidelined for the season with a lower-body injury after shutting down the Lightning in the opener. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov continues his pursuit of franchise history. Kucherov enters tonight riding a five-game point streak with eight points on the season and needs just six more points to surpass Steven Stamkos as the all-time leading scorer in Lightning history. In Today's Episode: Preview of tonight's matchup: Lightning vs. Rangers at Madison Square Garden Ryan McDonagh on Tampa Bay's growth since Opening Night Zemgus Girgensons on facing New York for the second time in two weeks The Lightning's improving power play and special teams adjustments Igor Shesterkin out for the season as the Rangers turn to a new crease tandem Nikita Kucherov closes in on Steven Stamkos' franchise scoring record Brandon Hagel ranks third in the NHL with 26 shots on goal John Carlson sits among the league leaders in shots by defensemen Ilya Mikheyev is one goal away from the 100th of his NHL career Check out the latest episode of Into The Blue Podcast featuring discussion on Kucherov's chase for history, special teams improvements, and Tampa Bay's early-season surprises This Day in Lightning History: Steven Stamkos records the eighth hat trick of his career in a 7-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on October 13, 2014 Crunch roster updates involving Dyllan Gill, Harrison Meneghin, and Zach Uens Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 PM ET as the Lightning look to push their winning streak to five games and continue their climb up the Eastern Conference standings. Subscribe to Daily Strike for daily Tampa Bay Lightning news, game previews, player interviews, prospect updates, and everything happening around the organization. #TampaBayLightning #GoBolts #NHL #LightningHockey #NikitaKucherov #StevenStamkos #RyanMcDonagh #BrandonHagel #JohnCarlson #IlyaMikheyev #NewYorkRangers #DailyStrike #BoltsNation #HockeyPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.