Tampa Bay will look to replicate the process and level up the series Monday night on home ice.
Saturday brought an unfortunate loss for the Lightning. A goal scored by Brayden Point was taken away due to a quick whistle by the referee. Then they watched as a major penalty on Morgan Rielly for a hit on Brayden Point was rescinded.
The Lightning dictated the game for most of the night, and as a whole, they were happy with how they played. There wasn’t anything abnormal in the locker room following the game. Some slight disappointment as you'd expect with any playoff loss, but the energy was seemingly confident and balanced. The core that makes up the heart of this Lightning team has been in this position before, far too many times to count.
While few things have changed, one has remained the same. Coach Cooper continues to reiterate process over outcome. It’s a mantra the players believe in fully and they stick to it. This playoff series is no different, and we heard more about it on Saturday night.
“This is what makes our group unique and special. With the experience we have, we’ve been in these situations before,” said Stamkos.
“We always harp on process over outcome. I thought this was a process game, we know what works. Those first two games, throw those out. This was probably the first real game of the series and both teams played really well. I thought we had a really good game plan and it just didn’t work out for us tonight.”
The Lightning have always functioned as one solid unit. When one goes down, you can expect a response from the entire team. The visual of Brayden Point falling over while holding his chest after a hit from Morgan Rielly, didn’t sit well with his teammates.
“I think that goes to show why we’ve had success in the past. Guys are willing to do whatever it takes to win hockey games. You stand up for one another, it doesn’t matter who it is,” said Hedman.
Few expected Point to return to the game, but he did and finished it.
“The play looked awful,” Cooper said. “When you see that, you’re thinking the worst. There were so many precautions that went on. The fact that he came back and played, that was just amazing in itself, but he went through so many different tests, and he was struggling, there’s no doubt about it."
On a high note, the Lightning’s top defenseman, Victor Hedman was happy to be back on the ice with his teammates after sitting out in Game 2.
“It’s the worst feeling not being out there competing with the guys,” Hedman said.
Coach Cooper announced on Sunday that defenseman Erik Cernak would remain out of the lineup.
There is no internal doubt from the Lightning heading in to Game 4. They have the same quiet confidence you've seen in years past. Their ability to remain level-headed has proven to be a weapon in a playoff atmosphere. They don't let the highs get too high, or let the lows bring them down. It all stems from head coach Jon Cooper. It's how they’re wired to operate.
"It's first to four, not first to two. That's the bottom line. For us, like I said earlier too, it's about process. Saturday was a process game. We bounced back from Game 2 & obviously not the result we wanted but that's all it is. It's always next game," said Hedman.
In Game 4 on Monday, they'll look to replicate the process they had on Saturday night with a little added push to level up the series.
"I leave that game - unfortunate that we lost the game, but I loved our guts. In a three-game series, the adversity that's hit them in three games - we've gotten one of them. We've taken another one to overtime,” said Cooper.
"It's a gutty group and I'd never bet against the gutty group that's in there. It's impressive to watch them. It was impressive to watch them in the locker room afterwards and the confidence they exude."