Following their loss in Game Three, the Tampa Bay Lightning were on the same page in their post-game interviews. In order to dig themselves out of this hole, they have to believe. Of the three players and one head coach that spoke to the press, they all used the word believe or belief in response to questions about how they’re approaching Game Four.
There is no doubt the team believes they can win Game Four. If they can do that, why not believe they can win Game Five? The games have all been close and while Florida has earned all three of their wins, a bad hop of the puck here, or a glance off of a post there, and the Lightning might have a win or two. They can’t win all four games they need in one night, so they’ll take it a game at a time.
Also, kudos to Tyler Motte for jamming as many cliches as he possibly can into an interview that only lasted 2:23.
Jon Cooper
“Want the believers to show up at the rink tomorrow. And if you’re not going to believe, don’t come.”
Brayden Point
“You try to win the next one, that’s all you can do.”
Tyler Motte
“Our backs are against the wall, and you find out who you are. You come out swinging, put your best foot forward, and you just keep pushing.”
Steven Stamkos
“The effort was there, the execution just wasn’t there in certain aspects tonight.”
Other Hockey News
Lightning lose 5-3 [Raw Charge]
If this is Steven Stamkos’ last ride in the playoffs with the Lightning, at least he’s going out scoring. The Captain picked up his third goal in as many games, but it wasn’t enough as Florida scored four straight goals to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.
Crunch Notes [Syracuse Crunch]
The final installment of the Crunch’s weekly update mentioned that 11 players played for both Syracuse and Tampa Bay this season. That is quite a bit and having to absorb those roster losses makes the fact that the Crunch held onto the top spot in the division up until the last day of the season pretty remarkable.
Bob Cole, Hall of Fame announcer, passes away at age 90 [CBC]
Coach Cooper took some time from his post-game press conference to talk about the impact Bob Cole had on him as a kid, stating that he wouldn’t be where he was today if it wasn’t for the inspiration Cole provided while announcing games.
Blackhawks sign Alex Vlasic to six-year contract [Second City Hockey]
The pending restricted free agent will be calling the Windy City home for the next six seasons as he inked an extension worth $4.6 million annually.
The other playoff series:
A quick look around the league shows that the Lightning aren’t the only team on the verge of a sweep as the Islanders are down three games in their series against the Hurricanes. The Caps haven’t won yet either while Boston has the one-game lead over Toronto.
The West is off to a more even start as all of their series are tied at one except for the Vegas series where they have a 2-0 lead over Dallas.
Boston 2, Toronto 1
New York Rangers 2, Washington 0
Carolina 3, New York Islanders 0
Vegas 2, Dallas 0
Winnipeg 1, Colorado 1
Vancouver 1, Nashville 1
Edmonton 1, Los Angeles 1
