Watch out for surge of Lightning
NHL PLAYOFFS: Tampa Bay back in conference final after easily disposing of Islanders
TAMPA, Fla. — For those expecting the winner of the Washington-Pittsburgh series to be a lock in the Eastern Conference final, it may be time to re-evaluate.
Or at least pay a little more attention to what’s happening down in the Sunshine State for a second consecutive spring.
In a dominant effort Sunday at Amalie Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning swatted aside the New York Islanders with a 4-0 win and an efficiently easy 4-1 series victory in the best-of-seven conference semifinal.
Now there’s time to rest and watch while Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Penguins continue to knock the poop out of each other in the other conference semifinal, which resumes Tuesday in Pittsburgh with the Pens holding a 3-2 edge. The Capitals stayed alive with a 3-1 victory Saturday at home.
With an 8-2 record these playoffs and riding a four-game winning streak, coach Jon Cooper’s Lightning are looking every bit as poised as the team that went to the Stanley Cup final last season before losing to Chicago.
And with the possibility of defenceman Anton Stralman and captain Steven Stamkos returning before this run is done, look out.
“Did I think that we would get the second round in 10 games? Not a chance,” Cooper said after his team’s clutch performance before a sellout crowd at Amalie Arena. “I don’t think a lot of people going into the playoffs would have checked our box to move on. But the guys in that room are checking that box.”
They’re checking it for many reasons, starting from the net out.
Big Ben Bishop was superb after getting pulled in Game 1, allowing just two goals in the final two games and a shutout in the clincher.
“It’s a team effort,” Bishop said. “I just try to make a couple of saves here and there.”
In his past five series-clinching games in his career, Bishop has allowed just one goal while recording four shutouts, clutch play if there ever was such a thing.
“Elimination games are the hardest ones to win and we knew coming in that it seems like Bish relishes those big games,” Lightning winger Ryan Callahan said of the towering goaltender, who registered 28 saves Sunday. “He’s been our backbone all year and he continues in those big playoff games.”
Moving from the net out, the Bolts have the co-first star of the series and Game 5 in Victor Hedman, who had two goals Sunday, including the game winner. The big Swede continues to dazzle as an elite d-man, a status that has been elevated the past two post seasons.
“Last year was obviously a good experience for me and the team,” said Hedman, who had eight points in the series (four goals, four assists).
“You know what to expect come playoff time. You want to be at your best in the playoffs.”
Hedman’s position as one of the game’s best was re-affirmed in this series, where he not only produced offensively, but played a big role in shutting down Islanders captain John Tavares, the only player selected ahead of him in the 2009 NHL draft.
The uber-competitive Tavares was held without a point in the final four games of the series and boiled over with frustration in the second period Sunday, whacking at the back of Callahan’s legs.
Up front, the Lightning may be eagerly awaiting the return of Stamkos — who told Postmedia Sunday he still intends to play this spring. But Nikita Kucherov is as dangerous a scorer in these playoffs. His league-best ninth of the playoffs game on a third-period breakaway and bumped the Bolts lead to 4-0.
Without Stamkos and Stralman, the Lightning have seen several players step up, confidence-building performances that will help as the post season moves on. And now they have the opportunity to watch the Pens and Caps pummel each other, hoping it works to their advantage.
“That remains to be seen,” Boyle said when asked about the advantage of another rest before the Bolts go to the Conference final for the fourth time in franchise history.
“Talk to me in two weeks. It won’t mean anything if we don’t remain sharp.”