Tampa Bay Lightning’s second-line ‘Triplets’ an unsung force

Rob McKenzie notes the Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat line in Tampa has quietly been one of the most effective in the NHL.

Ondrej Palat, right, of the Tamp Bay Lightning celebrates a goal with teammates Nikita Kucherov, left, and Tyler Johnson, obscured, during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Doug PensingShow more

Let us concoct a statistic: a player’s points plus his plus-minus figure. This will flatter those who generate goals (and are not merely on the ice at the time of the score) while punishing those who shirk their defensive duties.

Call it PPM: a measure of two-way players with scoring punch; and, like OPS in baseball, a stat that combines two facets of the athlete’s game.

Through Monday, the list of the top 10 players in PPM – see box – features many familiar names, and three that are surprising: the Tampa Bay Lightning linemates Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat.

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These guys are Tampa’s second line but they might also be the second-best line in the league (Chicago’s trio of Toews-Hossa-Saad is awfully impressive).

Tampa's nominal first line is Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan. Stamkos is a sniper and has 32 goals so far this season. He's the golden boy (and a bit of a freak: he can describe, in exceptional detail, every league goal he has scored). Video highlight packages regularly introduce Tampa as "Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning."

But Stamkos has a plus-minus for the season of minus-3. In other words, when he is on the ice at even strength, Tampa is a little more likely to be scored on than it is to score.

The Johnson unit is more effective. The line is known as the Triplets because, as with siblings, each seems able to anticipate the others’ next moves.

Take a moment from the game in San Jose that kicked off a five-game western road trip for Tampa. With the Lightning ahead 2-1, the puck drops to start the third period. Palat gets the puck and loops into the San Jose defensive zone on the right. That creates time and space for Johnson to dash up the middle towards the net. Kucherov finds an opening on the left as a far-side option. At one point the three were a perfect triangle and had no end of possibilities.

Kucherov lost the puck to a defender, but Johnson, still at speed, reached back with his stick to blunt the clearing attempt. The misfire went to Palat’s stick. With Johnson by now having reached the net and getting in the goalie’s face, Palat shoots and scores.

The period is 10 seconds old and Tampa’s lead is up to 3-1.

One could go on about how unfair it is that the Triplets are overshadowed by Stamkos. But this can only be good for Tampa. They have one guy who is a natural-born scorer, and three guys who can do it all at both ends.

If the season ended today, Tampa would be playing Detroit in a first-round playoff series. Tampa’s architect, the general manager Steve Yzerman, is a Red Wings legend. Could be a great series.

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