Tampa Bay Lightning: 2 Biggest Surprises Of The Season So Far

Every NHL team has now played 20 games this season, so we are starting to get a better understanding of what to expect from them moving forward. There have been certain players who have been big surprises thus far and it feels fair to shine a light on them. In this series, we will be looking at two from each team who certainly can be classified as that.

In this one, we will be going over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are once again playing very well, as they have a 17-5-4 record and are in a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Division. So many Lightning players are once again doing their jobs, but one could argue that these two have been exceeding expectations.

Alex Killorn: Alex Killorn is a big part of Tampa Bay's core, but he's been taking his offensive game to an entirely new level this season. In 26 games, he already has eight goals and 23 points in 26 games. Keep in mind, he had a respectable 33 points last season, but in 56 games. He's on pace for the best season of his career and it will be interesting to see if this remains true once we get into the postseason.

Anthony Cirelli: Anthony Cirelli had 22 points in 50 games last season. This year, however, he's been contributing more frequently, as he already has eight goals and 17 points in just 25 games. With this, he is not only on pace to easily pass last year's totals, but also to set a new career-high in points. This is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Check out our last article on the Minnesota Wild. In our next one, we will be focusing on the Nashville Predators.