Lightning Show Killer Instinct in Dominant Isles Series, but Can Be Even Better

What makes these Tampa Bay Lightning scary is the way they step on throats.

Not literally, of course. But in today’s NHL, it is rare to see a team take it up a notch in the speed and desperation department when it gets an advantage of a couple of goals. The tendency is to drop into that “prevent” defense that too often leads to a bunch of players sitting on their heels getting blitzed by the other side’s own desperate attack.

Leads are blown, opportunities to close out a series lost.

Not these Lightning. They struck quickly and refused to slow down Sunday afternoon, knocking John Tavares and the New York Islanders out with a 4-0 win and becoming the first team to advance to the conference finals in these playoffs.

They actually seemed to get better along the way in the second-round series, winning four straight against the Isles after dropping the opening game on home ice.

Perhaps it’s the experience they gained in going to the Stanley Cup Final last spring that is driving them. Maybe it’s coach Jon Cooper’s message and the players’ belief in it.

Whatever the case, there’s no doubt the Bolts have a killer instinct.

“I think we’re just ready to push forward,” Lightning center Tyler Johnson told Arash Madani on the Sportsnet broadcast heading into the third period when asked about the potential to move past the Islanders. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We can’t really change our mood. You have to think about this period. We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ve had a good game so far, might as well not let up.”

True, that’s a paragraph full of mostly overused cliches—welcome to the world of in-game interviews. But that last statement about not letting up is the Lightning’s key to success.

They have some very skilled players like Nikita Kucherov, Johnson, Jonathan Drouin and Victor Hedman leading the way.

Kucherov scored his postseason-leading ninth goal of these playoffs, and fourth of the series, in the third period. All four of his tallies against the Isles have come in the final frame.

Hedman is putting himself on the radar for the Norris Trophy next year. By that, I mean voters who haven’t yet noticed just how elite he is as an all-around defenseman can’t help but see now what he has done against Tavares and the Islanders in this series and keep a closer eye on him next season. Hedman contributed eight points on the 18 goals the Bolts scored in the Isles series, all while shutting Tavares down to a dramatic degree—the Islanders captain had a goal and assist in Game 1 but not a single point since.

“He covers so much ice, he’s such a competitor,” Brian Boyle said of his Tampa teammate Hedman after Game 5 in a chat with NBC’s Pierre McGuire. “He’s a huge part of our team. He’s logging a bunch of minutes and we need that.”

Drouin has shown toughness, grit and extreme skill. His assist on Hedman’s second goal was a perfect bank-pass off the boards that the big defenseman was able to lean into with a one-timer.

It was Drouin’s fifth point of the series and ninth in 10 playoff games so far this spring.

Ben Bishop is a beast in the net, making 55 saves on 56 shots in the last two games and allowing just six goals against in the final four games after a shaky first game saw four pucks get past him. His slick pad save on Johnny Boychuk in the third period preserved his fifth playoff shutout—many of which have come in opportunities to eliminate opponents.

The Bolts are also enjoying the kind of secondary scoring needed to make a deep playoff run. Boyle scored his second of the series Sunday and provided a key screen on Hedman’s second goal on netminder Thomas Greiss.

Asked by McGuire why the team has been able to advance with just two losses in 10 games through two rounds, Boyle's answer was trifold.

“We’re a pretty resilient team and a pretty committed team,” he said. “And we want to win—we’re competitive. You start with those three things.”

Two more big pieces could be coming back at some point in these playoffs—Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman.

Both are skating, and Stralman is inching closer to a return. His recovery from a broken leg is progressing well and he would instantly give the Bolts a massive upgrade behind Hedman on the blue line both offensively and defensively.

Stamkos still needs to be taken off blood thinners as part of his recuperation from a blood clot that was removed at the end of the regular season, but he is also taking laps on the ice.

Even just one of those guys returning gives the Lightning another critical weapon.

They may need it against the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals, who will quickly become the toughest test of the Lightning’s postseason run since last year’s Cup Final series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

But there’s no doubt these Bolts are a contender. They are peaking at the right time and now get plenty of rest while they await their next challenge.