TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning will play nine of their final 13 games on home ice at Benchmark International Arena — beginning Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
Tampa Bay 28 sports anchor Kyle Burger has been covering the Bolts all season.
The Lightning are returning from a four-game road trip where they picked up seven of a possible eight points, but weren’t able to gain ground on the division-leading Buffalo Sabres, which kept a four-point lead.
Coming into Tuesday’s game, Tampa Bay looks to maintain that urgency it had on its road trip.
"We’re excited, we’re in the hunt for things," Tampa Bay forward Gage Goncalves said. "Obviously, you want to be ahead of the pack, but these are the situations on a road trip you get to learn a lot about a team. I thought we handled it really well."
Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh continues his breakout. He scored his 19th goal of the season on Sunday at Calgary and is one shy of tying the franchise record by a D-man in a single season.
Raddysh also leads the NHL, by far, with the most shots, clocking 90-100 mph.
“I’ve seen it for a while. I remember playing in the AHL," Goncavles said. "How is this guy not in the NHL? With the shot alone. It’s a long time coming for Raddy. He’s a guy I talk to if I’m in a slump. He works on his game a ton. Honestly, I’ve seen it since I came into playing pro hockey. He’s one of the best d-men in the world, I think. He can defend well, he’s got a bomb of a shot. He makes super-great plays coming out of his own zone. I’m happy to see him get the recognition and the points he deserves."
The Lightning and Wild get started at 7:30 p.m.
Share Your Story with Kyle Burger
For Tampa Bay 28 Sports Anchor Kyle Burger, pride in our local teams goes beyond college and the pros. Sports connect us as communities and families. You can connect with Kyle to share your passion for your local athletes below.
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