Nicholas J. Cotsonika’s Three Periods column appears on Thursdays. This week’s topics include Anton Stralman completing his game with the Tampa Bay Lightning; Jori Lehtera anchoring the STL Line after joining the NHL; plus notes on the rest of the Blues’ offense, Cory Schneider, Connor McDavid and goalie mask designs.

FIRST PERIOD: Stralman becomes more complete with health, opportunity

When the Tampa Bay Lightning held pro scouting meetings before free agency, some people in the room pushed for Anton Stralman.

Others thought, “Anton Stralman?” The defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted in the seventh round in 2005? The guy who bounced between the AHL and NHL for two years, got traded to the Calgary Flames and then got flipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets? The guy who tried out for the New Jersey Devils and couldn’t land a contract? The guy who ended up with the New York Rangers and became solid but unspectacular?

The Lightning signed Stralman to a five-year, $22.5 million deal. So far he has exceeded the expectations of his supporters, let alone the doubters, especially offensively. He entered Thursday night with two goals and 10 points in 16 games after putting up one goal and 13 points in 81 games last season.

“I thought he was a really good defenseman,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “He’s better than that in my eyes.”

Two keys: health and opportunity.

View photos Stralman has stepped up and filled the void left by the injury absence of Victor Hedman. (USA Today) More

Stralman grew up with asthma. He always managed it as an athlete. But it became a problem in 2010-11, his second season in Columbus. He kept getting infections and developed scar tissue in his lungs, and doctors couldn’t find the right treatment. On top of that, he suffered a knee injury, and he was on a one-year, $1.95 million contract.

He tried out for the Devils entering the 2011-12 season, but he got sick and didn’t play well. He went home to Sweden. He ended up signing with the Rangers for only $900,000. When he got off the plane in New York, he had a fever of 103 degrees. But he found a doctor who found the right treatment – antibiotics normally used to treat cystic fibrosis – and he found a defensive niche with the team. He played well enough to earn a two-year, $3.4 million deal, then played well enough to earn this deal.

“What happened, I haven’t gotten a good answer for it yet,” said Stralman, who still takes the antibiotics three times a week to boost his immune system. “That’s probably the biggest thing for my career the last few years, just staying healthy.”

When Stralman spoke to Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman on July 1, he was offered an opportunity but nothing more. He seized it in training camp and preseason, fitting well into an up-tempo system that encourages the defense to be aggressive, gaining more and more confidence as he went.

When the regular season began, he was on the top pair with Victor Hedman and the second power play. When Hedman went down with an injury, he anchored the top pair with Matt Carle and moved to the first power play. He has gone from averaging 19:24 of ice time last season to 22:38 this season – from 0:19 on the power play to 2:38, from 1:37 on the penalty kill to 2:35.

“He’s probably not going to ever win a Norris Trophy, but his partner will,” Cooper said, presumably referring to Hedman. “He’s unnoticeable but gets stuff done. … He doesn’t have Shea Weber’s shot or Erik Karlsson’s skating ability, but he’s got a piece of all of them.”

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