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Feb 26, 2016 - 4:32 AM Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman publicly stated a week and a half ago that he won't trade pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos before the deadline.

Almost immediately, Stamkos and the Lightning began turning things around.

Stamkos has scored in each contest during a four-game winning streak, which Tampa Bay will try to extend when it begins a four-game road trip Friday night against the slumping New Jersey Devils.

Tampa Bay (34-22-4) reportedly offered its franchise player an eight-year, $68 million contract extension late last month that Stamkos rejected. Trade rumors had been swirling for quite some time with the possibility that Yzerman would want to get a return for Stamkos rather than have him leave for nothing in the offseason.

There's still a chance that happens, but Stamkos isn't going anywhere this season. Yzerman released a statement Feb. 15 to confirm that the Lightning won't be trading Stamkos ahead of Monday's deadline, with the goal being to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Tampa lost to San Jose the next day and Stamkos had one goal in his first seven games this month, but he's been on a tear during the winning streak that immediately followed that defeat.

Stamkos scored his 26th goal in the first period and Cedric Paquette converted a penalty shot in the second to give the Lightning a 2-1 win over Arizona on Tuesday. The defending Eastern Conference champs are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division with Boston, which they visit Sunday.

''We're getting there," Stamkos said. "We know what this group is capable of when we're playing at our best, and I don't think we're at our best right now. It's encouraging that we're finding ways to win not being at our best.''

Tampa has gone 2 for 30 on the power play over its last nine. Forward Nikita Kucherov, who has 24 goals and a team-high 49 points, will be a game-time decision after missing the last two with a lower-body injury.

The Lightning have won twice on the road during their streak, but they've dropped three straight and 12 of their last 15 visits to New Jersey. Stamkos has scored in the last two meetings overall, including the Lightning's 4-3 overtime victory in the last matchup April 9.

"The (previous) road trip was good, even though it was only two games," coach Jon Cooper said. "Now we've got to turn it into this four-gamer and go on this trip and come away with more points than games played. If we can do that, we'll be OK."

The Devils (30-25-7) are one point back of Pittsburgh for the last wild-card spot despite having dropped four of five. They've allowed 19 goals during that stretch after being crushed 6-1 at Columbus on Thursday.

Reid Boucher scored to give him two goals and two assists over his last three.

''If we have an honest assessment of it, we weren't ready to play in the first period and that was the biggest difference in the game," coach John Hynes said.

It's unclear who will be in net after Cory Schneider gave up three goals on 11 shots before being relieved by Keith Kinkaid, who gave up three more on 13 shots.

Ben Bishop, 4-2-0 with a 1.46 goals-against average against the Devils, will get the nod for Tampa.