Devastation: Tampa beaten in every aspect of Game 3
Ahead of the playoffs, few would have expected the Lightning to be down 2-1 to the Red Wings in their first round playoff series. Few would have thought the Lightning would experience a power outage of epic proportions on the power play. Few would have thought this Tampa team would be outplayed so thoroughly by a team that limped its way into the postseason.
Yet that is exactly what has happened to this season's Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Bolts need to get it together quickly if they don't want another early playoff exit.
Tampa bloggers are understandable upset, and one writer called out Jon Cooper in the aftermath of the Game 3 loss.
"Babcock has made adjustments that have benefited his team," wrote Hockey Buzz columnist Michael Stuart. "Like last year against Montreal, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper either doesn’t know how to adjust or is just being too stubborn to make necessary changes. His team was outplayed."
But Stuart, like some others in the blogging world, was able to keep perspective on the situation.
"The Lightning are only down one in the series, and they have another chance to do grab a win in Detroit in Game Four," Stuart wrote. "The old adage says that a team isn’t in trouble in the playoffs until it loses at home; the Lightning need to beat the Wings at the Joe to regain home-ice advantage. That said, it likely won’t happen without some major adjustments."
(h/t Hockey Buzz)
