Empty-Net Lab · Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Lightning pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Lightning pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Lightning pull the goalie, 2025-26. TBL down 1: half pulled by 2:16 remaining, 78% pulled with 2:00 left (24 trailing spells); TBL down 2: half pulled by 3:17 remaining, 100% pulled with 2:00 left (16 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Lightning goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Cooper | 2017-18 to 2026-27 | 2:03 (187) | 52% | 3:17 (154) | 19 / 123 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Lightning season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | – (0) | – (0) | 3:19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 2:16 (24) | 3:17 (16) | 48:44 | 4 | 15 | 23 | 5 |
| 2024-25 | 2:25 (28) | 4:11 (21) | 48:57 | 6 | 17 | 28 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 1:51 (21) | 3:42 (22) | 53:52 | 6 | 16 | 23 | 7 |
| 2022-23 | 1:55 (28) | 3:08 (26) | 38:55 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 2 |
| 2021-22 | 2:32 (20) | 3:54 (17) | 37:06 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 6 |
| 2020-21 | 1:58 (7) | 3:22 (10) | 28:38 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
| 2019-20 | 1:49 (22) | 3:08 (17) | 31:30 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 8 |
| 2018-19 | 1:50 (17) | 2:49 (11) | 27:05 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 5 |
| 2017-18 | 1:41 (20) | 1:59 (14) | 28:55 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
Who is on the ice for the Lightning, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- Jake Guentzel41:23 · 91%
- Darren Raddysh38:43 · 85%
- Nikita Kucherov38:15 · 88%
- Brandon Hagel30:40 · 73%
- Brayden Point29:38 · 88%
- Anthony Cirelli25:04 · 76%
- Charle-Edouard D'Astous18:13 · 45%
- Oliver Bjorkstrand17:15 · 36%
Empty-net defense
- Brandon Hagel24:21 · 64%
- Nikita Kucherov23:38 · 57%
- J.J. Moser23:36 · 54%
- Anthony Cirelli20:24 · 57%
- Erik Cernak18:07 · 50%
- Darren Raddysh15:52 · 43%
- Ryan McDonagh15:41 · 64%
- Jake Guentzel13:27 · 31%
Empty-net goals
- Nikita Kucherov7 G, 5 A
- Brandon Hagel7 G, 2 A
- Anthony Cirelli3 G, 7 A
- Jake Guentzel3 G, 2 A
- Pontus Holmberg2 G, 0 A
- Zemgus Girgensons1 G, 1 A
- Darren Raddysh0 G, 5 A
- Ryan McDonagh0 G, 4 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Lightning goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | NYR | 3+ | 8:04 | 3:19 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 15 | NYR | 2 | 3:13 | 3:13 | No goal |
| Apr 9 | MTL | 1 | 2:10 | 0:19 | Scored |
| Apr 9 | MTL | 1 | 0:55 | 0:55 | No goal |
| Apr 7 | OTT | 3+ | 4:33 | 1:14 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 6 | BUF | 1 | 4:04 | 0:09 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 6 | BUF | 2 | 1:46 | 1:46 | No goal |
| Mar 31 | MTL | 1 | 2:33 | 0:27 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 31 | MTL | 2 | 1:53 | 0:47 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 14 | CAR | 1 | 1:39 | 0:08 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 14 | CAR | 2 | 1:04 | 1:04 | No goal |
| Mar 10 | CBJ | 2 | 4:41 | 0:09 | Empty-net goal against |
FAQ
When do the Lightning pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Jon Cooper, the Tampa Bay Lightning had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 2:16 left in the 3rd period, and in 78% with 2:00 or more left (24 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Lightning allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Tampa Bay Lightning scored 4 and allowed 15 empty-net goals in 48:44 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 23 empty-net goals and allowed 5 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.