TAMPA — As important as the question about whether this is the season Alex Barre-Boulet finally sticks on the Lightning roster is the matter of where he best fits on the team’s forward lines.
The 26-year-old winger has proven all he can in the AHL, coming off a career-high 84-point season in Syracuse. In training camp, the Lightning had him on the third line and second power-play unit but slid him through waivers just before their opening-night game and assigned him back to the Crunch.
An injury to forward Tyler Motte in the Lightning’s opener, however, quickly presented another opportunity. Before he knew it, Barre-Boulet was back on the NHL roster, though still stuck on a third line that didn’t seem to take full advantage of his offensive skill.
With head coach Jon Cooper looking for a spark in the second period of the Oct. 17 game in Buffalo, he shuffled his lines, putting Barre-Boulet on the top line alongside stars Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.
It’s an experiment Cooper has tried before but didn’t stick. This time, it did.
Since being elevated to the top line, Barre-Boulet has scored in back-to-back games, including a heady redirection in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Carolina.
“He’s a great player, and he sees the ice really well,” Point said. “And I think the more reps he gets just the more confident he becomes, and he’s just playing his game right now. And his game is dynamic, and he makes great plays. I think (Tuesday) was another really good one for him.”
Barre-Boulet might not have been ready for a top-line role in the past, but he focused on improving his skating and getting stronger knowing that his sixth training camp with the team could be make-or-break. He also knew that with the losses of top-six forward Alex Killorn and power-play threat Ross Colton this might be his best opportunity.
Since Barre-Boulet joined Point and Kucherov (three-plus games), the line —which sputtered to open the season — has 11 more shot attempts (46) than allowed (35) in 5-on-5 play. That includes 19 scoring chances over the past two games, 12 from high-danger areas — most of any Lightning line over that stretch.
Over the past two games against Toronto and Carolina, Barre-Boulet has two goals, seven shots on goal and six high-danger chances.
The irony is that he received this opportunity by coincidence. Not only did Motte’s injury open the door to return to the roster, Steven Stamkos’ two-game absence with a lower-body injury opened up a top-six spot. Since Stamkos’ return, Barre-Boulet not only has remained on the top line, he has continued to get better.
“He’s got a pretty elite hockey IQ,” Cooper said. “He has ability. He’s done that at levels he’s played at prior to the NHL, (shown) that he’s got offensive instincts, and so you learn to play with these guys and where they want the puck and where they know you should put it, and he’s slowly learning that.
“As you can see, he can finish. So you get him into these offensive situations, and he can excel.”
His goal against Carolina was a good example.
With less than three minutes left in the second period and the Lightning clinging to a one-goal lead, the Hurricanes’ defense clamped down on Point and Kucherov as they entered the offensive zone on a rush. Point passed from the right circle to Barre-Boulet as he approached the left hash. Barre-Boulet ran out of runway as Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov closed off the near post with his right pad.
But Barre-Boulet stuck with the play, snapping a pass from behind the net to defenseman Darren Raddysh at the point. Carolina reset, and as Barre-Boulet sped to a soft spot just in front of the crease, Point drifted to the left circle and lifted his stick for a one-timer.
That spun three Hurricanes skaters around, and another went to Kucherov positioned at the right circle. Raddysh had an open lane to rifle a shot toward the net that Barre-Boulet calmly tipped past Kochetkov to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead.
“I think every game he’s getting better,” Cooper said. “I think for him to excel, he’s got to play with some pretty good players because he’s got some gifted offensive talents, and so you’ve just got to put him in a situation to succeed.”
“You’re not asking him to go in and be on a checking line and kill penalties for you and block shots,. You ask him to do what he’s doing here now, and he’s making the best of his opportunity.”
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