TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — After the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, head coach Jon Cooper said they were flat and that it’s paramount for them to bring emotion back into their game.

Before the NHL All-Star break, the Bolts got a big spark from several players called up from Syracuse, and that could be the piece of the puzzle they need to return right now.

“It gives an energy,” Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern coach. “Most of the guys that come in they’re worried about themselves, but they’re so excited to be there that they bring a level of excitement. So all the guys that have come up have been really good, and it’s helped our team.”

One of those players is forward Mitchell Chaffee, who got his first NHL goal and first NHL assist in his second game with the Lightning in January — which also happened to be his birthday eve.

“I think it’s up there,” Chaffee said about where that day ranks in his hockey career moments. “It’s probably one of the top ones. It’s a day that I’ll never forget. Obviously, it being the day before my birthday, it made my birthday even more enjoyable.”

Chaffee scored his second NHL goal on Monday, feeling like he’s taking strides forward and settling in, now up to double-digit NHL games that he’s played in.

“I think it’s just growing more and more throughout the more games that I’ve played,” Chaffee said about his level of comfortability with the Lightning. “I feel like I’ve gotten more and more confident and just feel better with each game. I felt like lately I’ve been kind of taking those next steps and feel better.”

“(Chaffee’s) came in, and probably the thing that I’ve noticed is when we show good clips of our team, he’s in them,” Halpern said. “He’s structurally smart. He’s responsible. A lot of times with the younger players coming in, those are some of the things you teach, and I think he has that already.”

After Chaffee’s second NHL goal on Monday, Cooper said postgame that he’s always in the right spot, and he’s been earning his ice time — and if he keeps it up, he’ll get more in the future. 

The Lightning return to the ice Thursday as they take on the Washington Capitals at home.