I haven't been able to write a headline like that since 2018, due to the fact that my Tampa Bay Lightning failed to advance past the first round of the 2019 NHL playoffs.
However, last night they prevailed in their first round series of these belated 2020 playoffs, so now I get to write something victory-tinged!
It would be easy to make too big a deal about the fact that the team they vanquished in five games this year is the same one that eliminated them last year. I refuse to do that largely because the rosters aren't identical to the ones last spring, but also because the true objective -- winning Lord Stanley's Cup -- requires prevailing in four consecutive playoffs series, not just one.
But I will say that it felt particularly good to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, not only because of what they did to my team in 2019, but because they play the precise kind of punishing, defensive game that tends to succeed in the post-season and often trips up higher-seeded squads like the Bolts.
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To win in the playoffs, you must have the gumption and mental strength to come through in adversity, when every little thing is tightly battled and the deck seems stacked and the margin for error is practically nil. These Bolts proved they have that gumption and mental strength by winning both contests that went to overtime -- including that Michenerian epic of a Game One that lasted five overtimes and ended up being the fourth-longest game in NHL history.
The Bolts took the series four games to one, with each of their victories being by one goal whereas Columbus's lone win was by two goals. The combined goal count for the series was in Tampa Bay's favor by just 14-12, and that, mes amis, is tight as can be. It says something good about the Bolts' character that they were able to forge through such a battle and come out on top by a margin that will look more comfortable in the history books that it was in reality.
It was Brayden Point who buried the Game One winner at 10:27 of the fifth overtime, and then it was Brayden Point who scored the series-winner 5:12 into overtime in Game Five. Therefore, I hereby dub him Mr. OT and declare that this shall be his nickname forevermore.
What most impressed me about the series, however, was the Lightning's third line, consisting of Yanni Gourde at center flanked by late season acquisitions Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. They are fast, scrappy, happy to hit and willing to be hit. They are able to play against the best the competition has to offer. And each of them put the puck in the net against the Blue Jackets, never mind that neither Coleman nor Goodrow had scored in a Tampa Bay uniform until this week! I dub them the Lunch Pail Line, and declare that they are the kind of unit a team must have if it is going to have a chance to sip from the grail.
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When talking about the Lightning's chances going forward, there were other encouraging things about this round that just ended.
From a character standpoint, I love the resilience they showed by bouncing back to win Game Five after a putrid second period in which they lost a two-goal lead and watched Columbus score a go-ahead goal with less than 16 seconds remaining before the buzzer.
I love that Victor Hedman was a beast at every spot on the ice, on both sides of the puck, while logging monster minutes. He is arguably the best defenseman in the world and has been for several years, and for him to play like it when it matters most means a hell of a lot.
I love that Zach Bogosian, who was thought by many to be over the hill and a likely liability when the team signed him in February, has instead surprised everyone by moving seamlessly into the defense corps and making almost no mistakes even on the top pairing.
I loved Kevin Shattenkirk's even-keel presence and offensive zone quarterbacking throughout the series.
I love that despite Columbus having managed to keep the puck away from Nikita Kucherov for most of Game Five, as soon as he and the Bolts finally succeeded at getting it on his stick, he responded by assisting on all three of the goals that transformed a 4-2 third period deficit into a 5-4 overtime triumph.
And I love that despite Steven Stamkos being sidelined by injury(ies) the team still managed to defeat a defensive juggernaut over the course of a full playoff round.
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But there were troubling signs in this series as well. Things that must change in order for this team to win the Cup.
They kept committing bad penalties at bad times and putting themselves down a man. You simply can't keep doing that without it eventually catching up to you, especially when your likely opponent in the next round can throw snipers like Pastrnak and Marchand against you when you're on the PK.
And speaking of special teams, the Lightning were zero-for-ten on the power play against Columbus. That is unacceptable, especially for a team as talent-laden as them. If you go a whole series against Boston without scoring on the power play, you will lose the series and lose it badly. Period. End of story. No question about it.
The face-offs need to improve. Since the Coronasuspension ended, only two Lightning players who have taken more than a single draw (Point and Cedric Paquette) are above 50 percent, while every other player is below 45 percent. If you continue to perform like that in the dot night-in and night-out, you will ultimately be, in the words of C3PO, doomed.
Which brings me to: The Captain. I appreciate that the team is being enigmatic about Steven Stamkos's injury and his prognosis for return, but I do not like there is an injury and prognosis for them to be enigmatic about. The Lightning desperately need him back in the lineup for the juice he would bring to the power play and boost he would bring to the face-off dot.
Let us hope that Stamkos returns soon, and that he returns at full strength and at full speed.
Go Bolts!
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