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TAMPA — Today, we celebrate improvement.
As opposed to victory, first place or better playoff seeding.
When you put it that way, improvement sounds like a pretty lousy consolation prize considering all that was at stake for the Lightning against Toronto on Wednesday night. Coming off a loss Tuesday night in Florida, the Maple Leafs came into Amalie Arena, took a two-goal lead in the first three-plus minutes and went on to win 4-3 in overtime.
“Embarrassing,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Embarrassing first three-and-a-half minutes.”
So, instead of being tied on top of the Atlantic Division, the Lightning are now three points behind the Leafs with four games remaining. And, for the first time in 13 years, the Lightning have gone 0-4 against an opponent in a season series.
“If they win the division, they deserve to beat us because they swept us this year,” Cooper said. “In the end, that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
Yes, you could say that. You almost need to say that.
Those four games represent a seven-point boost in the standings for the Leafs. If that doesn’t end up being the difference between first and second place, it likely means something strange happened in the season’s final week.
And yet, for all that was lost on the scoreboard Wednesday night, you might argue there was still something gained by Tampa Bay beyond the one point for an overtime loss.
After three mostly lopsided games against Toronto, the Lightning played a solid, spirited game once they gifted the Leafs that 2-0 lead.
“We pushed back,” said forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored his fifth goal since coming from Seattle at the trade deadline. “The start was just not good enough.”
Considering the Lightning trailed Toronto about 207 of the roughly 243 minutes they played this season — and never led a single second — it had to be heartening to come back from a two-goal deficit and force overtime.
The Lightning fired 90 shots, but only 28 were on net. They misfired 26 times and had 36 shots blocked. That doesn’t say much for their execution, but they did force the action for much of the night. Brayden Point also added a spark when he dropped the gloves after taking a cross check from Bobby McMann in the third period.
“We had 90-some shot attempts (Wednesday) … that’s a little unheard of,” Cooper said. “We only had 28 shots on goal, so that’s a lot on us. We missed the net 26 times. That’s a lot. We had 36 blocks. I mean, I know they block shots, but they don’t block 36 of them.
“So, I think we’re guilty of not executing on some of the things we could have. But if we keep playing the way we did after the slow start, I’ll take our chances.”
The Lightning got back in the game when Nick Perbix fired a 45-foot shot from behind the circle with about a minute remaining in the first period and then tied it for the first time with Bjorkstrand’s power-play goal early in the third.
The two teams traded goals later in the third period before Matthew Knies completed a hat trick with a goal during a furious three minutes of overtime.
“We want to get home-ice,” said Victor Hedman, who scored his 15th goal of the season to tie the game with 8:55 remaining. “Best-case scenario, we want to finish first. But for us we did what we set out to do at the beginning of the year is make the playoffs.”
So, now that it seems to be slipping from their hands, how important is winning the division when it comes to postseason success?
Not terribly, if you go by recent history.
Taking away the expanded field for the 2020 COVID postseason, there have been 10 seasons under the current playoff format. Division winners have reached the Stanley Cup Final four times. Second-place teams, meanwhile, have seven Cup appearances and third-place teams have six. Wild cards have the other three appearances.
“Obviously, winning the division is something you want to push for,” forward Nick Paul said before the game. “But, once the playoffs hit, it all feels you’re going game by game.”
The one difference for the Lightning is they have not been a particularly good team away from Amalie. With an 18-18-4 record on the road, the Lightning could use the comfort of home-ice advantage in the first round that comes with winning the division or finishing second.
“We still have an opportunity to win (the division), and we have an opportunity to salvage some home ice here, too,” Cooper said. “So, (every) point is extremely important for us.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
• • •
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As opposed to victory, first place or better playoff seeding.
When you put it that way, improvement sounds like a pretty lousy consolation prize considering all that was at stake for the Lightning against Toronto on Wednesday night. Coming off a loss Tuesday night in Florida, the Maple Leafs came into Amalie Arena, took a two-goal lead in the first three-plus minutes and went on to win 4-3 in overtime.
“Embarrassing,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Embarrassing first three-and-a-half minutes.”
So, instead of being tied on top of the Atlantic Division, the Lightning are now three points behind the Leafs with four games remaining. And, for the first time in 13 years, the Lightning have gone 0-4 against an opponent in a season series.
“If they win the division, they deserve to beat us because they swept us this year,” Cooper said. “In the end, that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
Yes, you could say that. You almost need to say that.
Those four games represent a seven-point boost in the standings for the Leafs. If that doesn’t end up being the difference between first and second place, it likely means something strange happened in the season’s final week.
And yet, for all that was lost on the scoreboard Wednesday night, you might argue there was still something gained by Tampa Bay beyond the one point for an overtime loss.
After three mostly lopsided games against Toronto, the Lightning played a solid, spirited game once they gifted the Leafs that 2-0 lead.
“We pushed back,” said forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored his fifth goal since coming from Seattle at the trade deadline. “The start was just not good enough.”
Considering the Lightning trailed Toronto about 207 of the roughly 243 minutes they played this season — and never led a single second — it had to be heartening to come back from a two-goal deficit and force overtime.
The Lightning fired 90 shots, but only 28 were on net. They misfired 26 times and had 36 shots blocked. That doesn’t say much for their execution, but they did force the action for much of the night. Brayden Point also added a spark when he dropped the gloves after taking a cross check from Bobby McMann in the third period.
“We had 90-some shot attempts (Wednesday) … that’s a little unheard of,” Cooper said. “We only had 28 shots on goal, so that’s a lot on us. We missed the net 26 times. That’s a lot. We had 36 blocks. I mean, I know they block shots, but they don’t block 36 of them.
“So, I think we’re guilty of not executing on some of the things we could have. But if we keep playing the way we did after the slow start, I’ll take our chances.”
The Lightning got back in the game when Nick Perbix fired a 45-foot shot from behind the circle with about a minute remaining in the first period and then tied it for the first time with Bjorkstrand’s power-play goal early in the third.
The two teams traded goals later in the third period before Matthew Knies completed a hat trick with a goal during a furious three minutes of overtime.
“We want to get home-ice,” said Victor Hedman, who scored his 15th goal of the season to tie the game with 8:55 remaining. “Best-case scenario, we want to finish first. But for us we did what we set out to do at the beginning of the year is make the playoffs.”
So, now that it seems to be slipping from their hands, how important is winning the division when it comes to postseason success?
Not terribly, if you go by recent history.
Taking away the expanded field for the 2020 COVID postseason, there have been 10 seasons under the current playoff format. Division winners have reached the Stanley Cup Final four times. Second-place teams, meanwhile, have seven Cup appearances and third-place teams have six. Wild cards have the other three appearances.
“Obviously, winning the division is something you want to push for,” forward Nick Paul said before the game. “But, once the playoffs hit, it all feels you’re going game by game.”
The one difference for the Lightning is they have not been a particularly good team away from Amalie. With an 18-18-4 record on the road, the Lightning could use the comfort of home-ice advantage in the first round that comes with winning the division or finishing second.
“We still have an opportunity to win (the division), and we have an opportunity to salvage some home ice here, too,” Cooper said. “So, (every) point is extremely important for us.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
