Tampa Bay needs 1 more
TAMPA — The Lightning take a licking — literally — and keep on ticking.
There’s nothing the Bruins can do to it at the moment, including having their little pest Brad Marchand lick faces, that seems to be working. And for that reason, the Lightning are one victory away from closing out Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Hundreds of fans greeted the Lightning’s charter plane back from Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Decked out in Lightning jerseys and hats, they gave their team a hero’s welcome for winning two games in Boston to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
And though no one was more appreciative than coach Jon Cooper, he had a warning.
“I’ll be the first one to tell you that we’ve accomplished nothing,’’ he said. “We’re really happy where we stand. But you got to win four [games], not three. And we’re really focused to get that fourth one.’’
That pretty much sums up why the Lightning are one victory away from reaching the conference final for the third time in four years. It’s the same attitude the Tampa Bay teams of the 2015 and 2016 playoffs seemed to have.
Never rattled. Always poised. Rarely too high. Seldom too low.
Something goes wrong, the Lightning overcome it. Something goes right, the Lightning use it.
They remember to do the good things and forget the bad moments.
The Lightning did that in 2015 and 2016, and are doing it again this season.
“We might have a little bit more depth than we had back then,’’ forward Alex Killorn said.
“But there are definitely some similarities in the sense where it’s definitely a resilient group.’’ Need proof? Take Game 4 on Friday night. The Lightning had blown a 2-0 lead and were tied entering the third period. With 13:24 left in regulation, Boston scored a shorthanded goal that surely would have broken the back of most teams.
“It can be deflating, for sure,’’ Killorn said. “But we realized there was a ton of time left.’’
Just enough for captain Steven Stamkos to tie it and then Dan Girardi, on a feed from Killorn, to win it in overtime.
“For us to come back in that game showed how resilient we were,’’ Killorn said.
And it showed why the Lightning are a serious Stanley Cup contender.
“I just think any time you’re winning games, you’re battling through something,’’ Cooper said. “You’re making the big play at the big time. And it seems that the teams that move on are doing that.’’
The Lightning did that time and time again in 2015 when they reached the Stanley Cup final. They pulled out improbable victories. They won huge road games in tough buildings such as Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden. They did more of the same in 2016.
Think of all the clutch moments during those two runs: A pair of Game 7 shutouts. The Lightning overcoming a 2-0 deficit late in the third period to win a critical game in Detroit. Shutout victories in a pair of must-win games on the road against the Rangers. Winning a game on a Tyler Johnson goal with 1.1 seconds left in the third period.
“We just hope we use the experience of those previous experiences to our benefit,’’ Cooper said. It already has. The Lightning have won three straight in this series after being blasted in Game 1 by the Bruins. They won two straight to close out their first series against the Devils after what could have been a confidence-shaking loss in Game 3.
See about taking a licking and keeping on ticking?
At the same time, the Lightning also handle the good moments with composure.
Every victory — even sudden and exciting ones such as Game 4’s overtime thriller — is treated the same. The Lightning allow a few moments for loud music and even louder cheers.
But within minutes, the party subsides and it’s on to the next thing.