After being winners of four straight, it was expected for the Lightning to suffer a loss before the season's end. That defeat came Saturday night at home against the Montreal Canadiens as the Bolts fell in overtime 2-1.
The bright side of the loss is it came in overtime, providing Tampa Bay with one point. The not-so-bright side of the loss is the Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers and are now four points ahead of the Lightning.
With only five games left to play, the playoffs are still the goal for the Bolts but they made need to win out if they want to get there. Last night's loss leaves Tampa Bay with no wiggle room at all, especially because the Bruins keep winning (four in a row going into Sunday).
Both the Lightning and Boston will play the second game of a back-to-back today. The Bolts will take on the Dallas Stars in the last game of their homestand, while the Bruins will go up against the Blackhawks in Chicago.
If Tampa can secure a victory while the Bruins suffer defeat, the Lightning would get the opportunity to even up the point totals when the two team go head-to-head on Tuesday. Unfortunately, if the Bolts cannot obtain a win today against the Stars, the team's hopes of making the postseason will be all but shot.