Lightning's Cooper: NHL's young talent to blame for early scoring boom

Skill kills - just ask the many goaltenders who've suited up early this season.

The 2016-17 campaign is nearly two weeks old and early on teams are scoring in bunches. Teams are averaging 3.25 goals per game, a mark not seen since the 1992-93 campaign.

So what's the deal? According to Tampa Bay Lighting head coach Jon Cooper, the league's abundance of skilled youth are the culprits.

"The one thing, I think if you look at the youth that has been injected into the National Hockey League and the skill, that in itself is going to raise the scoring and coaching is not going to be able to take that out of it because the guys are too good," Cooper told reporters.

"So I believe in that sense there is going to be more scoring just because of the talent level that these young kids possess, It's unreal to watch.

"But eventually when the goalies start getting into their rhythm - they're a big part of why goals aren't scored - and when that starts to roll goal scoring is going to go down. I don't expect it to dip (like) last season, I expect it to be on the rise."

Goaltending has certainly been a question mark early this season. After goalies matched a league record by averaging a .915 save percentage last season, netminders are averaging an .898 mark through 36 games - the worst mark since the 1995-96 season.

Meanwhile, the league average 3.02 goals-against per game is also the highest mark since the '95-96 campaign.

However, the season is still early and numbers are sure to even out, even if Cooper and his coaching colleagues must take it upon themselves to do so.

"I think defense is lax, what really happens is myself and the 29 other coaches in the league will just suck the fun out of the game and play 'D' and then games will be 2-1," said Cooper.