April 16, 2019. The day of infamy that will live on in Lightning franchise history as the day of new beginnings. It’s the event that continues to light up the Lightning. That was the day the final nail into the Lightning 2018-19 season was struck. It has led to where we are now.
That was two years ago. The Lightning had tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for most wins (62) in an NHL regular season. The Lightning were on top of the heap and then some. They looked primed to steamroll through the playoffs. If they won 62 of the 82 games, how could they not go 16-4 or 16-3 in the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup?
But that’s why they play the games. Former Lightning Coach John Tortorella was behind the Columbus bench. One thing for sure, Torts didn’t give a rat’s ass about the 62 wins. He knows “safe is death” in the NHL postseason. You can be sure he told his Blue Jackets, no one but them gave them a chance to win this series. Columbus played loose, played well and swept the Lightning right out of the playoffs. Most wins of all time meant absolutely nothing. Still does or haven’t you paid attention to the Montreal Canadiens?
Regular Season Means Nothing
Tampa played that series as if all they had to do was skate on the ice and opponents would fold. Not Torts. Not his team. Definitely not this time. In writing the post-mortem for that season, I called that series an ignominious loss. Because embarrassing seemed and still seems too soft a word. It was soul crushing. For the players, team management and the fans. Imagine tying the record for most wins in the regular season only to go on to not win a single game in the playoffs? Who would have known that Tortorella who provide the impetus to light up the Lightning, his former team.
But that was then. Let’s look at what has happened since then. First, kudos to Lightning GM Julien Brisebois who had to ward off calls for his and Jon Cooper’s head. The “Fire Cooper” contingency of the fan base was in full force. After surviving that initial blowback, Brisebois had to decide what, if any, changes had to be made to the roster.
He began in earnest and traded away J.T, Miller to Vancouver. Signed Andrei Vasilevskiy to an eight year deal. He also signed Pat Maroon, Kevin Shattenkirk and Carter Verhaege to one year deals. Brisebois also completed a three year bridge deal with Brayden Point. Safe to say these were tweaks. I mean, c’mon, his team had just won 62 regular season games. He wasn’t going to throw the baby out with the bathwater of the sweep.
Deadline Deals
Brisebois saved his best for the 2019-20 trade deadline. The Miller trade netted the Lightning a first round draft pick. They also had their own first rounder and both of those picks were traded away. There were many in the fan base that hated trading away not one but two first round picks. It’s clear that even those naysayers have come around. Acquiring Barclay Goodrow for one of those picks and Blake Coleman for the other were critical last season.
No one will ever really know if the team would have won the Cup last year without those two. They basically won without their captain, Steven Stamkos during the playoff run. This season they didn’t play one regular season game with Nikita Kucherov and still were a top 10 NHL team. Clearly, the team has depth. Depth for days.
Not having played in the Columbus debacle a year earlier, Goodrow and Coleman weren’t carrying that monkey on their back. Surely, they were aware but they didn’t play like they were. It was infectious. Lined up with Yanni Gourde to form the Lightning’s third line. They were at times the energy line and the defensive line against opponents best scoring threats. No question, it took everyone on the roster to win the Cup. They all had to believe.
For some on last year’s roster, it was overcoming the Columbus nightmare. For others, it was playing for the one chance they might ever have to have their name engraved on hockey’s Holy Grail. For all, last year was about redemption. There was no doubt, 2019 was in the back of their minds to light up the Lightning.
Light up the Lightning
The majority of Lightning players still on the roster were there two years ago. They remember. The team went from receiving high historical praise for a season for the ages to being a punchline. Some so-called experts were ruthless in their criticism.
I contend that this excruciatingly poor playoff performance still resonates in the Lightning locker room. Do you know that since those last two losses to Columbus in April of 2019, the Lightning have not lost two consecutive playoff games? That is seven consecutive postseason series without losing two in a row. Tonight’s Game 7 will be the 42nd playoff game since the sweep that the Lightning will play. Not once have they lost two games in a row.
The reasoning is simple. For guys like Vasilevskiy, Kucherov, Stamkos and Victor Hedman, they are committed to never taking a playoff opponent for granted. As for the rest of the squad, the ones that were there remember. Hell, even David Savard remembers. We saw in the bubble playoffs last year the determination that the Lightning had.
They have it this year as well. Through the Florida series and the Carolina series, we saw the sheer will from these boys to win. Both of these opponents had better regular season records than the Lightning (sound familiar) but both are now playing golf.
Rock Bottom
Some recovery programs establish that one must hit rock bottom before they can embrace the help they need. Only then can the person reflect and learn from past behaviors. Feeling all is lost can help someone gain a new perspective by providing the needed humility.
Finding yourself at rock bottom also means that there is only one way to go. Up. Rise up or perish. Using this analogy, the sweep was rock bottom for this franchise. For the players still here, I’d wager they are still embarrassed at that series loss. Further, I’d say they are steadfast in their determination never to have that happen again.
I’d further bet that somewhere deep in the collective recesses of this team, that sweep haunts them. It drives their desire to win game after game and series after series. Not convinced? The Lightning are 29-13 in the playoffs since that final loss to Columbus in 2019. There is no question that the Columbus series in 2019 continues to light up the Lightning to this day. Fear not Lightning fans, this team has learned. The Columbus sweep saw to that. Since that, a fire has been lit and like the eternal Olympic flame, it still burns in this team.
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