Goal of becoming dynasty in jeopardy in Game 6

Moments after the Lightning paraded around the ice with the Stanley Cup 10 months ago at Amalie Arena, they started talking about the opportunity to build a dynasty.

Now their chance to write their legacy as the first team to threepeat since the New York Islanders teams of the early 1980s is on a lifeline.

Down 3-2 in their first-round series against Toronto, the Lightning face elimination entering Thursday’s must-win Game 6 on the same ice where they celebrated last year’s championship.

From years of buildup to disappointing exits (from the 2015 Cup final to the first round in 2019) to winning a Cup in a bubble to following it up with a second straight title in an abbreviated season, this team has seen — and survived — it all.

“We’ve been up 3-2, down 3-2,” coach Jon Cooper said. “We’ve almost covered the landscape of series just because we’ve played in so many. … We have a lot of positives we can draw on with this group. And we’ve shown in hostile environments against good teams, winning on the road in these situations.”

During their two-season reign, the Lightning have controlled most of their playoff series. Despite playing 53 games over the past three postseasons (including the 2020 round-robin games), they’ve faced elimination just once, beating the Islanders 1-0 at home in Game 7 of the 2021 conference final.

“We [have to] come out harder,” Lightning forward Pat Maroon said. “We’re facing an elimination game. If you don’t get up for these, I don’t know. You shouldn’t be playing this sport.”