St. Louis enters December having scored three or more goals in eight consecutive games. Tampa Bay has surrendered 14 goals in its last three games.

The Lightning could get a big defensive boost if Anton Stralman returns to their lineup after missing nine games. But that's not a given. Tampa Bay never has been an outstanding defensive team even when Stralman was healthy. The Lightning were aided by excellent goal tending, but that hasn't been the case this season especially with Ben Bishop. He's having a down season.

The old saying a good offense makes for a better defense could be applied to the Lightning here. They haven't controlled the puck much recently. So expect a faster pace from them in an effort to aggressively attack and stop a three-game losing streak where the combined losing margin has been by a staggering nine goals.