Lightning Put Their Stamp on NHL's First All-Star Team

Tampa Bay has landed two names on the NHL’s First All-Star Team, which says plenty about how the league viewed its top-end talent this season. That kind of recognition is not handed out for narrative or nostalgia - it is usually a receipt for production that bent the standings and made opposing coaches miserable. When a team gets multiple players on the first team, it usually means the core did more than carry the load - it set the tone.