The hockey community knows what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. The sacrifice, perseverance, and determination are made apparent year in and year out. And with the dynamic nature of this year’s playoffs palpable, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s ability to do these things while overcoming adversity and adapting to changing factors has them on the cusp of history.
To understand where Tampa Bay’s motivation comes from, we have to look back to last season. After a regular season in which the Lightning set the record for most wins in NHL history, they were matched up against the eighth-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets. This series ended in extremely rare fashion; a 4-0 sweep in favor of the Jackets. A sweep is already unlikely, only occurring in 17% of playoff series since 1939. Add on to that the fact that the Lightning had just wrapped up a record-setting season and had secured the number one seed, and this becomes even more shocking.
Now, fast forward to the current season, their captain Steven Stamkos has been unavailable for the entirety of the playoffs due to an injury aggravated before the exhibition games in August. Typically, an injury of this magnitude would spell the end of the road for teams. Tampa Bay has been able to rally; showing that their ability to adapt to anything can drive them to reach their end goal. The team camaraderie that is on display when watching the Lightning is almost tangible, and their motivation and momentum seems to grow with every game.
Looking at every position group, the Lightning have enviable depth that has been able to buoy the losses of Stamkos and others. To be able to employ two legitimate scoring lines, and two hybrid checking/scoring lines make them a matchup nightmare. It also gives them the option to move players up and down the lineup without sacrificing offensive ability or defensive prowess. Whether it be a game where they score inordinate amounts of goals, or they’re forced to buckle down defensively and wait for their opportunities, this group of forwards is doing anything and everything to win.
Defensively, they boast one of the game’s best two-way defenders in Victor Hedman. He is someone who controls the pace of the game without even looking like he breaks a sweat. However, showing off their depth yet again, Hedman doesn’t even occupy a spot on the top power-play unit due to an offensively minded blue-liner named Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev patrols the point extremely effectively to the point that he is able to make the Lightning’s top players better. Hedman and perennial 35-point scorer Kevin Shattenkirk play on the second power-play unit, bolstering one of the most fortunate power-play groups in the league. Cycling in shut-down veterans Ryan Mcdonagh and Erik Cernak allows them to play whatever type of game is being played on any given night.
It’s hard to see Tampa Bay losing a seven-game series when taking into account the ups and downs that they have already experienced to this point. The first game of round one went five overtimes past the regulatory three periods. It was the fourth-longest game in NHL history played against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that hadn’t allowed them to pick up a single win a year prior. They did everything needed in order to immediately exercise their playoff demons, winning their first game after 150 minutes played, and haven’t looked back since.
On Wednesday night, still playing without Stamkos, their top center Brayden Point was injured early on and Alex Killorn was handed a game misconduct, removing him from the game. This led to an underwhelming offensive performance in which the Lightning were skating with only nine forwards. Their defense played with a chip on their shoulder while Andrei Vasilevskiy (2019 Vezina Trophy winner) played lights out. They waited 59:53 for their opportunity. Nikita Kucherov, the 2019 MVP, needed only one shot, and he was able to put the game away with seven seconds left. Jon Cooper’s enthusiastic celebration signified the widely understood notion that this wasn’t their game to win. But as they’ve done all season, this team came together and found a way.
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