In Game 1 loss, Lightning learn 2 good periods aren't enough
TAMPA, Fla.
For two periods, the Tampa Bay Lightning were golden.
For one, they made a charged Amalie Arena groan.
For most of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, they were disciplined on defense, good enough on offense, and they appeared on pace to produce their fourth postseason shutout.
Then all those positive developments were flipped upside down, dashed, and the Chicago Blackhawks authored a third-period rally in a flash to claim a 2-1 victory.
"We didn't really give them much the entire game," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday night. "If we're going to sit here and count, yeah, did they have a little more puck possession in the third period? They did. There's no question. Could we have made a few more poised plays? I suppose we could have. But I thought we had chances to put them away. We didn't put them away."
After the Lightning played so well to open this series, an effort that brought to mind their defensive mastery in a Game 7 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the only thing they had to show for it was a stinging sense of "What if?"
What if they had played tighter defensively in the third period, when the Blackhawks scored twice on eight shots?
What if they had maintained their aggression from the first period, when they flew on the ice faster than Chicago's veterans, and Tampa Bay's youthful faces looked like the group with Stanley Cup Final experience?
What if they had driven a stake in the Blackhawks instead of allowing Chicago to point the sharp edge the opposite way?
None of that matters now. The Lightning missed a chance to walk into this Stanley Cup Final party and dance away with confidence and an early series lead.
Instead, they stumbled and fumbled an opportunity to exert their will. They left an opening for the Blackhawks, who kicked through a one-goal deficit with scores from centers Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette with less than seven minutes left.
This wild swing engineered by those Windy City men proved that the moment was manageable for the Blackhawks' tested roster. When the lead was theirs for the first time, chants of "LET'S GO, HAWKS!" rose from the stands after being kept in hibernation.
"We pretty much didn't give them a lot of time in space," Lightning center Steven Stamkos said. "Two instances where the puck finds the back of the net, and that's the game. We can't dwell on that. We'll learn from it, and this group has found a way to bounce back all year."
From here, the Lightning must show that they can rise to the occasion under these brightest of lights as well. They must tighten their protection defensively and produce offensive opportunities when urgency stands as the mood of the moment. Allowing those two goals and scratching together a game-low five shots in the third period doesn't cut it.
The Blackhawks are no stranger to this stage. The Lightning must learn to handle the glare.
Afterward, Stamkos admitted that Tampa Bay sat back a little too much late. Goaltender Ben Bishop spoke about his team becoming too passive. Defenseman Victor Hedman sighed when revisiting an opportunity missed.
All that is true. But this result boils down to Chicago's ability to handle the pressure of the situation. The Lightning came up short in that task, and in the process, they fell to 9-1 in the postseason when they score first. This should be a frustrating miss for them.
"We got a little too passive there," said Bishop, who closed with 19 saves. "They're a good team. They kept coming at us. We would have liked maybe to push a little there in the third better."
Certainly, all is not lost. If Game 1 results were reliable markers of how a series will unfold, Tampa Bay would be more than a few rounds of golf and adult beverages into the offseason. The Lightning went 1-2 in Game 1 matchups during their run through the Eastern Conference, with their lone victory coming in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens in the semifinals. Even Tampa Bay's title team in 2004 lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Calgary Flames.
But this outcome can't be brushed aside as a frivolous discovery. It means Game 2 on Saturday becomes that much more important for the Lightning. This young group can't afford to go down 2-0 when the series shifts to Chicago.
The Blackhawks are too tested, too confident, and they hold too much perspective to be given that much of a cushion. The Lightning must apply pressure to shed that dreaded "P" word before they gas up for a long flight north.
"Good teams," Hedman said, "find ways to put pucks on the net."
For two periods, the Lightning were the better team.
When it mattered most, though, the Blackhawks were best.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
