The Tampa Bay Lightning’s high-powered offense just took a hit. Star forward Jake Guentzel is out with an upper-body injury and listed as day-to-day, forcing him to miss Sunday’s game against Montreal.
It’s the first time this season the Lightning have had to play without Guentzel, who’s been lighting up the scoreboard with 20 goals and 37 points in just 33 games.
Those numbers aren’t just impressive – they make him second on the team in goals and fourth in total points. Pretty amazing for a team that’s been scoring like crazy this year.
The Lightning have been on fire offensively, putting up 132 goals so far – the second-highest total in the NHL. Their top six forwards have been responsible for 98 of those goals.
That’s especially impressive considering many fans worried about the team’s scoring after longtime captain Steven Stamkos left last summer. Guentzel has helped fill that void nicely.
Now it’s up to Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, and Brayden Point to keep the goals coming while Guentzel recovers.
The Lightning didn’t waste time adjusting their lineup. Michael Eyssimont jumped back in after missing a game with a lower-body injury, taking his usual spot on the fourth line. Meanwhile, Cam Atkinson got bumped up to the top line.
Neither player managed to score on Sunday, though. Both have put up identical numbers this season – three goals and five points each, with Atkinson doing it in 20 games and Eyssimont in 31.
