Tampa Bay Lightning reaches quarter pole after battling many injuries

Jon Cooper recently referred to his team as a “Mash” unit. It seems like an appropriate term, considering he had to dress 29 skaters during the first quarter of the season. No fewer than eight of them missed at least two games due to injury.

The fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning went 11-7-2 through their first 20 games is a testament to the culture in the room, even if it has been missing core players of late, including mainstays and defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. But better now than the last quarter of the season.

“The biggest thing here is longevity and him getting better in the long run,” Cooper said of Hedman, who has at least a few weeks way of return.

The spate of injuries kept the trade buzzing as several players shuttled back and forth from the club’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Among those who answered the bell admirably is 27-year-old defender Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who signed a contract two-sided agreement in early May after spending last season with Brynas IF of the Swedish Elite League. That followed a two-year stint in the Finnish Elite League, during which he was named the circuit’s best defender in 2023-2024.

D’Astous made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay on Oct. 25 against Anaheim and is one of three Bolts – also Jack Finley and Dominic James – to score his first career goal this season. He averaged nearly 17 minutes of ice time in his first 11 games before logging more than 22 minutes against the Devils on Tuesday night and again against the Oilers on Thursday night.

“He’s a really heady player,” said Cooper, a Quebec native who played junior at Rimouski in his home province and went undrafted. “There’s no panic button with him. He has poise, composure and strength. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred he makes the right play outside the zone. You can see he’s a well-rounded defenseman and you see why he’s won trophies (in other leagues). He knows the game, he’s starting to understand it (the NHL) and it helps us.”

Help arrived in the form of forward Nick Paul, who missed the first 19 games of the season. Paul, a big player (6-4, 235) who can put the puck in the net, was sidelined after undergoing preseason surgery on his left wrist. He returned in a big way against Edmonton, recording each of his four hits in the first two periods before finally sending in a goal. 2-1 win in overtime when he scored with 2:32 remaining in the third period for his 200^e career point.

“It’s not easy to jump into 20 games (into the season),” said Paul, who scored 22 goals last season. “I wasn’t focused on scoring or being offensively productive. My job was to be a hard player who made good plays and was in front of the net. To score on top of that is huge.”

Although his absence was not on Paul’s orders, center Anthony Cirelli still missed four games (upper body) before returning to the lineup in a 5–1 win against New Jersey and assisting on what proved to be the difference-making goal. Far above the scoresheet, the veteran of 527 games in a Tampa Bay jersey embodies what his club is all about.

“I think the biggest thing is he’s an identity player,” said assistant coach Jeff Halpern, who led the team during Cooper’s (personal) absence against the Devils. “Obviously, if you throw him back into the lineup, you get that model. I think he has that effect on everyone around him. Providing energy, tenacity and all that stuff, that’s how we want our team to play, the way he plays.”

The Lightning, who have won 10 of 13, will continue to try to overcome the injury on Saturday in Washington before returning to the Benchmark International Arena on Monday against the Flyers and on Wednesday against Calgary.