2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning season
The 2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on December 16, 1991.[2]
2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning | |
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Eastern Conference champions | |
Division | 2nd Atlantic |
Conference | 3rd Eastern |
2014–15 record | 50–24–8 |
Home record | 32–8–1 |
Road record | 18–16–7 |
Goals for | 262 (1st) |
Goals against | 211 (11th) |
Team information | |
General manager | Steve Yzerman |
Coach | Jon Cooper |
Captain | Steven Stamkos |
Alternate captains | Rotating
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Arena | Amalie Arena |
Average attendance | 18,823 (98.0%)[1] |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Steven Stamkos (43) |
Assists | Ondrej Palat (47) |
Points | Tyler Johnson and Steven Stamkos (72) |
Penalty minutes | Brenden Morrow (64) |
Plus/minus | Nikita Kucherov (+38) |
Wins | Ben Bishop (40) |
Goals against average | Ben Bishop (2.32) |
Off-season
April
The off-season for the Tampa Bay Lightning began on April 22, 2014, when they were eliminated in a four-game sweep by the Montreal Canadiens.[3] On May 6, 2014, the first off-season transaction involved the Lightning signing their highly touted goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year, entry level contract.[4] Coming into the 2014–15 season, Vasilevskiy is rated as team's top goaltending prospect.[5] On May 21, 2014, the Lightning signed 2012 draft pick defensemen Dylan Blujus to a three-year, entry level contract. Blujus had four goals and 30 points in 55 games with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He also had four goals and 10 points in 22 playoff games, while helping the Battalion reach the OHL finals.[6]
May
On May 23, 2014, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Calder Memorial Trophy finalist Tyler Johnson to a three-year contract extension. Johnson had 24 goals, 26 assists and a plus-23 rating in 82 games. Johnson led all rookies in total playing time, and was used heavily on the penalty kill. Additionally, Johnson put up five shorthanded goals, which tied for the NHL lead.[7] Johnson was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for the 2013–14 season.[8]
June
On June 9, 2014, the Lightning announced the re-signing of co-Calder Trophy finalist Ondrej Palat to a three-year, $10 million contract extension. Palat had 23 goals and a team-high 59 points during the 2013–14 season. Among all NHL rookies, he ranked second in points and third in goals.[9] Like Johnson, Palat was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for the 2013–14 season.[8]
On June 25, 2014, the Lightning signed Ryan Callahan to a six-year, $34.8 million contract. Callahan was acquired by the team in the previous season in the trade that sent Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers, along with acquiring what would become a first round pick in both the 2014 and 2015 NHL Entry Drafts. Callahan had six goals and five assists in 20 regular season games with the Lightning.[10] On the same day, the Lighting elected to use their final compliance buyout on forward Ryan Malone. Malone had dealt with injury problems during his stint with the Lightning, and saw his numbers dip to five goals and ten assists in 57 games. Additionally, Malone was involved in an arrest for DUI and cocaine possession.[11] The team continued its busy day by re-signing forward J. T. Brown to a two-year, one-way contract. Brown appeared in 63 games with the Lightning last season, scoring four goals and 19 points while averaging 13:02 in ice time per game. Brown also appeared in all four Stanley Cup playoff games in 2014, notching two assists.[12]
On June 27, 2014, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Mark Barberio to one-year, one-way contract. Barberio skated in 49 games, recording five goals and 10 points during the 2013–14 season. He was tied for fourth in the NHL among rookie defensemen with a plus-10 rating. Barberio has appeared in 51 total games for the Lightning, and has recorded a plus or even rating in 40 of his career games.[13] On the same day, the Lighting acquired defensemen Jason Garrison from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for their second round draft pick (50th overall). In addition to Garrison, the Lightning received the rights to left winger Jeff Costello and the Canuck's seventh round pick in 2015. In 2013–14, Garrison had 33 points in 81 games, but saw his possession numbers fall under former Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella.[14]
On June 29, 2014, the Lightning pulled off a series of trades to free up salary cap and acquire several draft picks. First, the Lightning traded Teddy Purcell to the Edmonton Oilers for center Sam Gagner. Purcell played five seasons for Tampa Bay after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in March 2010. Purcell's breakout year was in 2011–12, when he had 24 goals and 41 assists, along with a great playoff run that saw the Lightning reach the Eastern Conference Final. However, in recent years, Purcell has been somewhat disappointing for the team in terms of production; over the past two seasons, he has had 23 goals combined. The Lightning then quickly flipped Sam Gagner and forward B. J. Crombeen to the Arizona Coyotes for a sixth round draft pick in 2015. The Lightning also had to retain one-third of Gagner's remaining salary ($1.6 million). Crombeen, a fourth-line grinder and fighter, had four goals and 14 assists in 99 games over two seasons in Tampa Bay. At midnight, on June 1, 2014, the Lightning traded forward Nate Thompson to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth and sixth round pick in the 2015 Draft. As a depth player, Thompson had become a key contributor the past five seasons, including being one of team's top penalty killers.[15] On the same day, the Lightning re-signed Syracuse Crunch captain Mike Angelidis to a one-year, two-way contract. Angelidis skated in 75 games with the Crunch, recording 12 goals and 33 points to go along with 161 penalty minutes. He ranked second on the Crunch in penalty minutes and fifth in points. Angelidis has played in 515 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Norfolk Admirals, Albany River Rats and Crunch, collecting 99 goals and 207 points to go with 1,079 penalty minutes. In 2012, he was a member of the Norfolk Admirals team that won the Calder Cup championship, skating in 18 games and recording a goal and six points.[16]
July
After freeing up cap space (approximately $13 million), the Lightning looked to the start of free agency. On July 1, the Lightning inked defensemen Anton Stralman to a $22.5 million, five-year contract. Stralman had one goal and 13 assists last season with the New York Rangers, and had five assists in 25 playoff games. A few hours later, the Lightning signed forward Brian Boyle to a three-year contract. Both Stralman and Boyle helped the Rangers capture the Eastern Conference Championship, and reach the Stanley Cup Final last season.[17] Later in day, the Lightning signed goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to a one-year contract. Nabokov will serve as backup to starting goalie Ben Bishop, after team elected not to qualify an offer to goalie Anders Lindback, who signed with the Dallas Stars. In 2013–14 with the New York Islanders, Nabokov posted a .905 save percentage as their starting goaltender.[18]
On July 4, the Lightning announced the re-signing of defensemen Andrej Sustr to a one-year, one-way contract. Sustr appeared in 43 games with the Lightning last season, posting one goal and eight points to go along with 16 penalty minutes. Sustr made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut against the Montreal Canadiens in 2014, skating in three games. In addition, he played in 12 games with the Syracuse Crunch, recording a goal and three assists. In total, Sustr has appeared in 45 NHL games, all with the Lightning over the past two seasons, recording one goal and eight points.[19]
On July 8, the Lightning signed free agent defensemen Matt Corrente to a one-year, two-way contract. He has appeared in 34 career NHL games, all with the New Jersey Devils, over parts of two seasons, posting six assists and 68 penalty minutes. He also appeared in two playoff games during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. This signing provides some depth and experience for the Crunch in the coming season, which will have several first-year players on defense.[20] On the same day, the Lightning re-signed forward Cody Kunyk to a one-year, two-way contract. Kunyk signed by the Lightning last season as an undrafted free agent. He made his NHL debut, logging 10:12 of ice time, on April 13 against the Washington Capitals. Kunyk skated in over four seasons for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he had 60 goals and 133 points.[21]
On July 10, the Lightning signed free agent forward Jerome Samson to a one-year, two-way contract. Samson played in 68 games for the St. John's IceCaps last season. He had 27 goals with 56 points. Samson has played in 424 AHL games with 160 goals and 336 points. Samson has also played in 46 career NHL games, all with the Carolina Hurricanes, over parts of three seasons. Samson will likely serve as veteran forward depth for Tampa's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. On the same day, the Lightning re-signed forward Brett Connolly to a one-year, two-way contract. Connolly has played in 11 games for the Lightning last season, and had one goal. He has played in 84 career NHL games, all with the Lightning over three seasons. During that time, he has earned six goals and 17 points. Connolly has played in 137 AHL games, earning 52 goals and 120 points. He appeared in 66 games with the Crunch last season, totaling 21 goals and 57 points.[22]
On July 11, 2014, the Lightning signed Brenden Morrow to a one-year contract. Morrow recorded 13 goals and 25 points in 71 games with the St. Louis Blues last season. Over his career, he has skated in 921 career NHL games with the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Blues. He has 262 goals and 567 points with a plus-108 rating. The Lightning also announced the signing of Philippe Paradis to a one-year, two-way contract. Paradis played in 56 games for the Crunch last season. He had six goals and 15 points. He has played 166 career AHL games with 13 goals and 43 points. Later in the day, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward Richard Panik to a one-year, two-way contract. Panik played in 50 games with the Lightning last season and had three goals with 13 points. Additionally, he skated in 13 games with Syracuse and had three goals and 11 points.[23]
August
On August 2, the Lightning re-signed starting goaltender Ben Bishop to a two-year contract extension. Bishop had a breakout season with the Lightning last year, posting a 37–14–7 record in 63 games. He had a .924 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average (GAA). He set the Tampa Bay single season records for victories, save percentage and GAA, and was nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. Bishop has played in 108 career NHL games with the Lightning, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues. He has a career record of 55–31–11 with eight shutouts, and a .920 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA.[24]
Training camp
On September 16, the Lightning announced their initial training camp roster, which contained 64 players.[25] Goalie Leland Irving had signed a PTO to participate in the camp as a goalie invitee. However, Irving elected to sign with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) instead of participating in camp.[26] The Lightning invited goalie Peter Mannino in Irving's place. The training camp roster also contained 24 players who participated in the rookie tournament in Tennessee. Some of the notable prospects from that tournament were Jonathan Drouin, Kristers Gudlevskis, Slater Koekkoek and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The training camp roster this year also contains the free agents acquired over the summer, as well as the returning cast from last years strong regular season performance.[25]
On September 18, during practice, forward Jonathan Drouin fell during practice sustaining an "upper body injury." The team did not consider the injury to be serious, and he was expected to undergo further evaluation the following Monday. Despite the injury, Drouin was expected to make the opening night roster with the team.[27]
On September 21, the Lightning released right winger Cameron Maclise from his training camp invite.[28] Two days later, the Lightning released Michael Aviani and Kodie Curran from their training invites. In addition, the Lightning reassigned four 2014 draft picks to their respective junior hockey clubs (Digiacinto, Point, Masin and Thomas).[29] Two days later, the Lightning announced that forward Jonathan Drouin is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a thumb fracture. Drouin will continue to skate on his own until he is cleared to resume practicing with the team again.[30]
On September 27, the Lightning held their Fan Fest event. During the event, the team unveiled their new third jersey for the upcoming season. This design retained the "Bolts" word mark logo, but brought back black as the primary color.[31] Around the same time, the Lightning reduced their training camp roster by six players. The group of players consisted of AHL veteran players, which included Syracuse Crunch captain Mike Angelidis. All six players would have to clear waivers before being assigned to the Crunch. Later in the day, 27 players were reassigned to Syracuse or to their junior hockey club. As well, Peter Mannino was released from his training camp tryout. Some of the notable players in the group demoted were Kristers Gudlevskis, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Slater Koekkoek. A few notable prospects remained on the roster, including Vladislav Namestnikov, Cedric Paquette, Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Luke Witkowski.[32]
Standings
Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | y – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 50 | 22 | 10 | 43 | 221 | 189 | +32 | 110 |
2 | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 47 | 262 | 211 | +51 | 108 |
3 | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 43 | 25 | 14 | 39 | 235 | 221 | +14 | 100 |
4 | x – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 43 | 26 | 13 | 37 | 238 | 215 | +23 | 99 |
5 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 37 | 213 | 211 | +2 | 96 |
6 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 38 | 29 | 15 | 30 | 206 | 223 | −17 | 91 |
7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | 25 | 211 | 262 | −51 | 68 |
8 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 23 | 51 | 8 | 15 | 161 | 274 | −113 | 54 |
Schedule and results
Preseason
2014 Preseason game log: 5–1–0 (Home: 3–0–0; Road: 2–1–0)
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2014 Preseason Schedule
Lightning score listed first; Win Loss Overtime/shootout loss |
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Regular season
2014–15 Game Log | ||
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October: 7–3–1, 15 Points (Home: 4–1–1; Road: 3–2–0)
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November: 9–3–1, 19 Points (Home: 6–1–0; Road: 3–2–1)
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December: 8–5–2, 18 Points (Home: 5–2–0; Road: 3–3–2)
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January: 8–4–0, 16 Points (Home: 6–0–0; Road: 2–4–0)
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February: 6–4–2, 14 Points (Home: 2–2–0; Road: 4–3–2)
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March: 9–5–1, 19 Points (Home: 7–2–0; Road: 2–3–1)
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April: 3–0–1, 7 Points (Home: 2–0–0; Road: 1–0–1)
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2014–15 Schedule
Lightning score listed first; Win (2 Points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) |
Playoffs
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs | ||
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Eastern Conference First Round vs. Detroit Red Wings (A3) – Tampa Bay won series 4–3
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Eastern Conference Second Round vs. Montreal Canadiens (A1) – Tampa Bay won series 4–2
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Eastern Conference Finals vs. New York Rangers (M1) – Tampa Bay won series 4–3
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Stanley Cup Finals vs. Chicago Blackhawks (C3) – Chicago won series 4–2
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Lightning score listed first; Win Loss |
Player stats
Final stats[147]
- Skaters
- Goaltenders
Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ben Bishop | 62 | 60 | 3519 | 40 | 13 | 5 | 136 | 2.32 | 1620 | .916 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Andrei Vasilevskiy | 16 | 13 | 864 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 2.36 | 415 | .918 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Evgeni Nabokov‡ | 11 | 9 | 553 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 3.15 | 232 | .882 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ben Bishop | 25 | 25 | 1459 | 13 | 11 | 53 | 2.18 | 669 | .921 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Andrei Vasilevskiy | 4 | 1 | 113 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3.19 | 57 | .895 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Tampa Bay. Stats reflect time with Tampa Bay only.
‡Traded from Tampa Bay mid-season.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Awards and honors
Awards
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Milestones
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- Note First in Franchise History
Transactions
The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2014–15 season.
Trades
June 27, 2014[155] | To Vancouver Canucks 2nd-round pick in 2014 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Jason Garrison Jeff Costello (rights) 7th-round pick in 2015 |
June 27, 2014[156] | To New York Islanders NYR's 1st-round pick in 2014 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd-round pick in 2014 MTL's 2nd-round pick in 2014 |
June 28, 2014[157] | To Minnesota Wild 3rd-round pick in 2014 7th-round pick in 2015 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 3rd-round pick in 2014 |
June 28, 2014[158] | To New York Rangers 5th-round pick in 2014 STL's 5th-round pick in 2014 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 4th-round pick in 2014 |
June 28, 2014[159] | To New York Islanders 7th-round pick in 2014 7th-round pick in 2015 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 7th-round pick in 2014 |
June 29, 2014[160] | To Edmonton Oilers Teddy Purcell |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Sam Gagner |
June 29, 2014[161] | To Arizona Coyotes Sam Gagner B. J. Crombeen |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 6th-round pick in 2015 |
June 30, 2014[162] | To Anaheim Ducks Nate Thompson |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 4th-round pick in 2015 7th-round pick in 2015 |
November 28, 2014[163] | To Anaheim Ducks Eric Brewer |
To Tampa Bay Lightning EDM's 3rd-round pick in 2015 |
February 6, 2015[164] | To Toronto Maple Leafs conditional 7th-round pick in 2016 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning David Broll Carter Ashton |
February 9, 2015[165] | To San Jose Sharks Evgeni Nabokov |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Future Considerations |
March 2, 2015[166] | To Philadelphia Flyers Radko Gudas Conditional 1st-round pick in 2015 3rd-round pick in 2015 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Braydon Coburn |
March 2, 2015[167] | To Boston Bruins Brett Connolly |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd-round pick in 2015 2nd-round pick in 2016 |
June 1, 2015[168] | To New York Rangers NYR's 7th-round pick in 2015 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Daniel Walcott |
Free agents acquired
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Free agents lost
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Claimed via waivers
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Lost via waivers
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Lost via retirement
Players released
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Player signings
Draft picksBelow are the Tampa Bay Lightning' selections made at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 27–28, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.[198]
References
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