One game in, Ondrej Palat looks primed for another huge Lightning playoff run

The depth of the Tampa Bay Lightning is what makes them such a dangerous team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have four lines that can skate and score, and they’re three quality defense pairings deep on the blue line. If teams can get the puck from those forwards and get around that defense, they have Vezina Trophy candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy standing between the pipes. It’s a lot to deal with

Ondrej Palat was the player who stepped up to lead the Lightning past the Devils, 5-2, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Thursday, with a goal and two assists.

Tampa Bay picked up three of their five goals in 6:54 of playing time, starting with five minutes left in the first period. Palat played a vital role in all three. He got the scoring started with a nice move in front to beat Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid.

On the second goal, Palat made a nice pass from the boards through traffic to find an open Tyler Johnson in front to increase the lead.

His second assist of the game was even more impressive than the first. Palat kicked a puck that was behind him across the crease to Yanni Gourde for a layup to give his team a 3-0 lead just under two minutes into the second period.

The 27-year-old winger is the prototypical “playoff player.” He has good skill, solid skating ability, and the fearlessness to throw his body around to create space for himself and his linemates.

Palat started to make a name for himself in the 2015 playoffs, when the Lightning made it to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. The former seventh-round pick had eight goals and 16 points in 26 playoff games that spring.

He followed that performance in another long playoff run in 2016, scoring four goals and 10 points in 17 games as the Bolts lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In Game 1 against the Devils, he picked right up where he left off two years ago in the postseason. He scored three points in 16:07 of ice time with three shots on goal.

When you include this game, Palat has 14 goals and 32 points in 47 career playoff games. The Czech winger rises to the occasion when the intensity and the pressure pick up. He currently sits in the top 20 (tied for 15th) of all NHL players who have played at least 40 playoff games since 2014 with 0.68 points per game in the postseason.

If the opening game of the series is any indication of the play the Lightning will get from depth players like Palat, they could be set up to make their third deep playoff run in four years, and this one might end better than the last two did.