The Tampa Bay Lightning have clinched home ice advantage for round one of the playoffs thanks to a 1-0 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals this afternoon. Anders Lindback led the team through more than 65 minutes of play and grabbed his first shutout as a Bolt. The Tampa win means that the Montreal Canadiens will make their way down to Florida for game one of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final on Wednesday.
For the first two periods of play, the Lightning looked like a team with something to play for. On the other side of things, the Capitals looked absolutely listless. The Bolts dominated the possession game, created scoring chances, and looked every bit like a team ready to compete in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The trouble, however, was that Tampa couldn’t finish. Washington goaltender Braden Holtby was there to thwart off every Lightning opportunity. Consider that the shot count through 40 minutes was 23-7 in favor of the road team, and you’ll probably realize that this game could have been over very quickly had it not been for Holtby's play.
After failing to convert on countless scoring chances, it almost looked like the Lightning were going to fail in their quest to secure home ice advantage. I almost got the feeling that the Hockey Gods wanted Canada’s only playoff team to have home ice advantage in round one. Thankfully, when he was needed most, Anders Lindback was there. Just as the Capitals showed up to play in the third period, Lindback showed up with some of his best goaltending of the season. For a guy who has dealt with his fair share of struggles in 2013-14, he’s certainly been superb since Ben Bishop went down with an upper-body injury.
Bolts Nation hasn’t exactly been quiet about its distaste for the shootout this year, so it came as no surprise when this game had to be decided by one. A combination of weak attempts by the Capitals, perfect goaltending from Lindback, and a slick Matt Carle goal all added up to give the Bolts the extra point in the shootout. That second point was enough to net Tampa home ice advantage.
It’s worth noting that Sunday’s victory in game 82 was special in another way.
Today’s win ties franchise record for wins with 46 set in 2003-04 (46-22-14) and matched in 2010-11 (46-25-11). #TBLightning
— Missy Zielinski (@Missy_Zielinski) April 13, 2014When you consider that less than one year ago Tampa’s brass stood on a stage and selected Jonathan Drouin with the third overall pick, it’s pretty remarkable to today see that the team has completed a 101 point season. It’s been a wild ride. Regardless of what happens over the coming weeks, the guys in that locker room have a lot to be proud of.
As mentioned above, round one of the playoffs will begin on Wednesday night. Thanks for reading this blog, and for being a part of my coverage this season.