Although they are happy to have swept their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning players are still far from claiming victory.
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• To read also: The declawed Panthers
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have won their last 10 series with a 2-0 win over the Cats on Monday night.
“We have a very special group, declared Steven Stamkos during the press conferences which followed this triumph. The beauty of our group is that we are not satisfied. We want to win 12 series in a row.”
Even if they aren’t satisfied, it’s still quite an extraordinary feat. Only two other National League teams have managed to win 10 series in a row in the history of the league, the Montreal Canadiens (from 1975 to 1980 and from 1955 to 1960) and the New York Islanders (from 1980 to 1984).
“It’s amazing to tell me that we’re in the same conversation as these great teams,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. That’s how we measure it, right? It’s what we do in the playoffs. Winning 10 consecutive series puts us in the top 3 of all time.”
Nothing in particular
Again, “Bolts” goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was fantastic in ending hostilities in a series. During the fourth and final game against the Panthers, the Russian had a shutout of 49 saves. It is the sixth time he has shut out rivals to end a streak, which is a new mark.
“I’m not doing anything special. That’s the way the whole team plays in front of me, Vasilevskiy said. Throughout the series, the guys blocked shots. They were ready to break bones to stop the puck.
“I just try to do my job the best I can,” he added.
Obviously not wanting to take too much credit, the 27-year-old keeper received plenty of praise from his teammates, however.
“”Vasy” got up again in a crucial moment,” chanted Stamkos.
“I think there’s a lot of guys on this team that will go down in history as really good players, Hall of Fame players,” forward Alex Killorn said when asked. Vasilevskiy’s performance. So I’m just happy to be a part of it, to be honest.”
