Lightning's Greatness Realized with Win over Rangers, Trip to Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a promising team for several seasons now, a well-run club with exciting young players, a clever, charismatic coach and enviable depth. On Friday, Tampa Bay stopped being a promising team. Its 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers established it as the best club in the Eastern Conference and a legitimately great team.

It’s the kind of moment that never comes for some teams. NHL franchises are a little bit like lumps of glittering rock of indeterminate formation, each with its shiny, glittering qualities that catch the eye and promise wondrous possibility. But not all that gleams is gold, and it is the crucible of the Stanley Cup playoffs that separates clubs with substance from those which merely have flash.

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Many excellent regular-season teams never pass the test. The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks in recent years are good examples of teams that shone beautifully in the regular season but couldn’t stand the heat of that crucible.

After a first-round sweep a year ago, there was some question as to whether the Lightning were of similar composition. This was a team that couldn't win a playoff game after posting 46 wins in the regular season a year ago, and 50 wins this season didn't answer the question of whether Tampa Bay would falter again in the playoffs.

Only this impressive run answers that question.

In a postgame interview with Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Oake, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos seemed to recognize the enormity of the accomplishment:

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This is unbelievable. We spoke about it before the game but no words can express how hard it is to get here and the sacrifices our team has made all year. We’re so excited, I’m so proud of these guys and we’re looking forward to starting the Finals.

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As usual, Stamkos did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, awarded to the winner of the East. The 25-year-old offensive star may have the right perspective on the magnitude of Tampa Bay's achievement so far, but of course he remains focused on the larger prize still in front of his team. 

The Rangers were a brutally difficult test for a club that has seen its share of postseason challenges. New York went to the Final itself a year ago and came within a hair of repeating the feat. Down three games to two, the Rangers pushed back hard in Game 6, with a forceful 7-3 victory. Entering Game 7, they had momentum, home ice and a significant advantage in net.

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Momentum and home ice weren’t enough to keep the Lightning on their heels, but that goaltending edge threatened to be decisive. Tampa Bay was the better team in all three periods of the game, but through 40 minutes was held scoreless, despite some fantastic scoring chances. 

The whole team was dangerous, but no unit more so than the first line. The young trio of Tyler Johnson (24), Ondrej Palat (24) and Nikita Kucherov (21) each collected first-rate opportunities; Johnson also set up a gorgeous one-timer from defenceman Jason Garrison that Henrik Lundqvist somehow stopped. 

The extent of Tampa Bay's domination can be appreciated from HNIC's Jim Hughson's comment entering the third period. Hughson noted that the scoring chances were 10-4 in favour of the Lightning, a more than 2-to-1 advantage in a season-deciding game against a worthy adversary.

But Lundqvist’s stalwart netminding rendered it moot. The Lightning and the Rangers were still knotted at 0-0, and New York had every opportunity to win the game with one strong period.

Tampa Bay, however, would not be denied. Third-year forward Alex Killorn made a series of good plays, culminating in an innocuous-looking backhand that found its way through traffic and just past Lundqvist.

A little under 10 minutes later, Palat finally tallied a goal for the Lightning’s excellent first line. Ben Bishop and the defence took care of the rest.

It’s the highest achievement so far in a run that has featured a little bit of everything. The Lightning knocked off an old warhorse when they beat Detroit in seven games, putting away one of the finest organizations in the league.

In the second round they knocked off Montreal, the team which so unceremoniously dumped them the year prior. Finally, they beat the defending Eastern Conference champions. Now only one opponent remains.

It’s been quite a run. General manager Steve Yzerman has built a team with strength in all positions, and that strength was on full display Friday night. Tampa Bay’s forwards generated chances against a brilliant Rangers defence and goals against an otherworldly Lundqvist.

Tampa Bay’s defence held off New York’s big, fast and accomplished forwards. Bishop rebounded from a poor performance and posted his second Game 7 shutout in his second career Game 7.  

It's especially impressive given how young the team is. The average age of the team's five most prolific forwards is just 24. No. 1 defenceman Victor Hedman is also 24, while starting goalie Ben Bishop is older at 28, but he played his first NHL postseason game in April. It's a group still growing toward its prime. 

Despite the youth, this is a proven team now. Regardless of what happens in the Final, the Lightning have been tested and found to be of exceptional quality. The final series of the playoffs isn't about proving anything to anyone; that doesn't need to be done. It's simply about attaining the immortality conferred by the Stanley Cup.