“There can’t be hesitation if you are Tampa in the offensive zone when you get that lane,” hockey color analyst Eddie Olczyk said. “When the lane is there, you got to let it go.” The Capitals’ defense exercised draconian control around the crease, boxing out and eliminating second-chance opportunities even when the puck squirted loose. On the NBC Sports broadcast, allusions were made to the Penguins series; the Capitals were implementing the same structure to defend in their own zone.

The Capitals applied multiple layers of bodies to take away the Lightning’s shooting lanes, a tactic the Capitals use to smother their opponent when they have a lead. But the Lightning’s indecisiveness during those split seconds of time and space, in those sporadic instances when they earned them, is how they ended up enduring a scoring famine. At this stage, the benchmark was not just speed to the puck, but quickness with the puck in terms of passing and shooting. The Lightning were wanting at both, which is how they failed to score for nearly eight straight periods—or precisely, for 159 minutes and 27 seconds.

It is not a coincidence that the Lightning hit the post once in the game, and it came off a Victor Hedman bomb that he one-timed from a missed shot by Dan Girardi on the opposite point. It is also meaningful that the shot deflected off Lars Eller’s boot on its way to the net. The Lightning’s deliberation with the puck was a testament to their idealism. Something better was sure to come, whether that would be a body for a tip or a better angle to shoot. It was that type of hubris that helped the Lightning beat the Bruins in five games. But it was impractical against the Capitals, and the failure to adjust proved to be Tampa Bay’s downfall.

Like a Matryoshka doll, last night’s game had layers – stories inside of stories. After the opening salvo by Alexander Ovechkin, the Capitals endured a torrent of shot attempts. Hemmed in the Capitals’ own zone, it seemed the levees would break at any moment. The Lightning were winning races to the puck and retrieving. The F2 was on time to take away the boards, and the puck support over the top was capable. On the cycle, a forward would retreat high, and the defensemen were active in the foreheck. Yanni Gourde’s cramped swing at the puck under pressure from two Capitals defensemen was the apogee of close-but-not-quite.

Deception is a feature of the quick strike. The Capitals ambushed the Lightning’s crumbling rampart. A Dan Girardi bumble, and Andre Burakovsky was there to scoop up the puck and deliver it in the net, stretching the lead to 2-0. (There were echoes of the Girardi gaff by his partner minutes before; with 13 minutes left in the second period, Hedman also fumbled a puck chest high, which led to a near miss by Jakub Vrana.)

With the Lightning pressing and time dwindling, Braydon Coburn flung a pass diagonally to Ondrej Palat on the left wing. After the puck alighted, Coburn went for a line change. Mikhail Sergachev, Coburn’s defensive partner, failed to switch with Coburn, and instead tailed the forwards in the hope of receiving the puck as the weak-side trailer. The left side of the ice was exposed. Unfortunately, the Coburn pass never connected. John Carlson recast the Lightning rush as a Capitals’ counterattack, and Burakovsky crept behind the defense and put the game out of reach before the second period ended. The Lightning defensemen were playing super aggressive, which was a necessary measure against a Capitals team that had consistently thwarted the Lightning’s three forwards on every line. The Lightning couldn’t score, and the Capitals profited off the defensive guard who had joined the battle and left the castle bare.

The Lightning had a remarkable season. They finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and few teams in the NHL can match their depth at all positions. They were one win away from the Stanley Cup Final. This squad made a deep run, and ultimately, they were defeated by a better team.

Moving forward, there is good news and bad news. The reassuring part is that the Penguins and Capitals have both demonstrated that a Cup window stays open quite awhile with the right core. How the Lightning franchise recalibrates matters, certainly, but if the bedrock is there, there will be more opportunities in the future.

The concerning element is retaining the nucleus. From management’s perspective, many of the highest paid players provide much less value than their salary suggests. A quick glance at the Lightning salary sheet on Spotrac provokes a shudder and a gulp. A few of the contracts on the Lightning books are unsavory, and the regular season and postseason certainly crystalized who the indispensable players are and who can be discarded via trade. Brayden Point, arguably the Lightning’s best even-strength player this postseason, is on his dirt-cheap first contract. Nikita Kucherov receives peanuts relative to his actual value. Keeping Point and Kucherov will not come cheaply. And a few of the truculent and fossilized players have contractual millstones that will make them difficult to move. But any player is movable for the right price. We see that truism every offseason. Their best option may be to bundle a high draft pick or an organizational asset.

The Lightning put forth a valiant effort in the playoffs, and they nearly captured the East. But transformations are inherently fascinating. Team identities change. How the Tampa Bay keeps possession of its organizational gems should make for stirring summer drama.

Join the Discussion: » 82 Comments » Post New Comment

» Verhaeghe's Role if Stamkos is Sidelined

» Stamkos's Linemates Should Feed Him in the Crease

» Three Personal Goals for the Grinders

» How COVID Could Test the Bolts' Depth

» What Happens to Cooper If TB Loses