Rookie Nick Perbix impressing Lightning early with his poise, quick adjustment
TAMPA — Lightning rookie defenseman Nick Perbix’s time has come more quickly than some might have thought.
On a blue line in transition, Perbix’s place next to Mikhail Sergachev on the second pair seems solidified, though he has just nine NHL games under his belt.
He has hardly played like a rookie, showing calm and patience that young defensemen seldom possess. In the Lightning’s 5-3 comeback victory over the Sabres on Saturday night at Amalie Arena, he scored his first NHL goal with the score tied at 3 in the third period.
Perbix jumped in on a rush and followed Nikita Kucherov into the offensive zone, tapping his stick to let Kucherov know he was open. Kucherov, one of the game’s best at seeing everyone around him, dropped a pass to Perbix, and the defenseman rocketed a wrist shot from the high slot past the glove of goaltender Eric Comrie with 4:55 remaining to give Tampa Bay a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“Honestly, just trying to get up into the play,” Perbix said after the game. “I just had hopped on the ice, saw we had a rush going and just had to make the most of it.”
Kucherov rushed over to celebrate Perbix’s goal. When he reached the bench, Perbix received congratulations from captain Steven Stamkos and defenseman Victor Hedman. Sergachev presented Perbix with the puck in the locker room after the game.
Despite a strong training camp, Perbix wasn’t on the opening-night roster. But he entered the season on the short list of defensemen who would get an early callup if the situation presented itself.
Last season, he finished his college career at St. Cloud State in Minnesota, earned an invitation to play for the United States in the Beijing Olympics after it was decided NHL players wouldn’t compete, and got 12 games of AHL experience at Syracuse.
The Lightning were careful not to rush him to the NHL before he was ready, but Perbix wasn’t your average wide-eyed rookie coming in. At 24, he’s older than Sergachev by a few weeks. At 6 feet 2 and 191 pounds, he already has an NHL body. Plus, Perbix, who earned a finance degree from St. Cloud State, has shown he’s a quick study.
“He showed well in training camp,” coach Jon Cooper said. “You can tell he had NHL tools. I think a little bit of a difference with Perbix is he’s older, he played the college game for some time. So it’s not like he was 19, and he’s a more mature kid in so many different ways, so hence why he’s here.
“You can tell he processes things, and that translates into his game. He makes really smart outlet passes, and now it’s just getting to the point of doing it under more and more pressure because of the speed of the game. But you can see he’s improving with each game.”
Perbix’s teammates also saw those attributes.
“He’s played in the Olympics. He’s played against men, so he knows how it is, and there’s not much to help him with,” Sergachev said before Perbix’s Oct. 18 debut against the Flyers. “Just try not to do too much. But he’s already very poised and very smart.
“So, just play his game, that’s the best advice, and just work hard. When things aren’t going your way and the touches aren’t there, just play good defensively and the offense will take care of itself.”
The style Perbix played in college was similar to the Lightning’s, which encourages defensemen to be aggressive in the offensive end and jump into plays. Still, Perbix had to get adjusted to the NHL game.
“The guys in here, and especially (Sergachev), I’ve been fortunate enough to play with him every game, and (that) has made it so much easier,” Perbix said. “We talk on the bench, and he lets me know before faceoffs what to do, so that’s definitely helped. But it’s still the jump to the NHL, so it’s something you really need to focus on.”
Cooper said after Saturday’s game that he could tell Perbix’s first NHL goal was coming. The defenseman was starting to create more chances, four in his past four games after just two in his first five, Cooper said. And he noticed that Perbix was getting more confident jumping into plays and being aggressive in the offensive zone.
“He’s going to be one hell of a player,” forward Brandon Hagel said. “He’s so calm with the puck. Coming into the league, usually it’s scary. It’s obviously the best league in the world. So he’s going out there playing against some pretty big guys, obviously. He’s done an incredible job. He’s super patient with the puck.”
Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieintheYard.
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