TAMPA – It felt like the Lightning season ended Tuesday night.
3 Months Ago
1 Day Ago
3 Months Ago
It didn’t. Not officially. The Lightning still has 31 games left to play and is still, incredibly, only six points out of a playoff spot. If Tampa Bay went on a, say, 8-1-1 run, it very well could climb comfortably into the playoff pack.
But games such as Tuesday suggest it simply isn’t capable of going on such a run. Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Bruins was, in a nutshell, what this 2016-17 has been all about.
The defense — on Tuesday and suddenly this season —- looks old, creaky and slow. The offense lacks the killer instinct. Even Ben Bishop’s goaltending, the backbone of this team’s success for three seasons, seems a bit off-kilter.
If there’s a way to lose a hockey game, the Lightning will find it.
What’s even more shocking is the lack of concentration and consistency. Tampa Bay gave up Savoybetting a back-breaking goal with less than a second left in the second period. That turned out to be the difference in the game.
What’s especially troubling is this all seems inexplicable. This is the same team, the same coach, the same everything that has been so good for three years. Even coach Jon Cooper is at a loss for words. Yet, even he is no longer surprised by the Lightning losing its way in big games.
In a stunning admission of his team’s performance this season, Cooper said, "Fifty games, I’m not too mystified anymore ? it’s becoming a regular occurrence. How many times do I have to say consistency?"
It’s probably a bad idea to count the Lightning out just yet. There is still too much time left in the season and the Lightning remains too talented to say this season is absolutely over.
But it sure feels like it after Tuesday night.
And after the past 51 games.
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