Burns: 3 Things we learned from closing out the Devils

In the lead up to Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal versus the Devils, the Lightning were adamant they didn't want to go back to New Jersey.
Win Game 5 and rest was the thinking.
The Lightning can sit back, kick their feet up and watch the other NHL playoff teams beat up on each other for a few days now.
Tampa Bay eliminated the Devils following a 3-1 victory in Game 5 Saturday at AMALIE Arena, the Lightning winning the series four-games-to-one.
The Bolts did it with defense, timely goals and shut down goaltending from Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay awaits the winner of the Boston-Toronto series in the next round. The Bruins have a chance to clinch their series tonight in a home Game 5 too.
But the key is the Lightning can watch that outcome from the comfort of their homes.
And not while sitting on a plane bound for New Jersey for at least one more game with the Devils.

1. DEFENDING AS A GROUP
Toward the end of the regular season, concerns arose about the way the Lightning were playing defensively.
While the team was still winning games, albeit not at the pace they were through the first couple months of the season, lapses in their defensive game became more pronounced. The Bolts were giving up too many odd-man rushes. They failed to pick up guys in the defensive zone, letting opponents get open in front of the net without anyone checking them. And they weren't blocking enough shots or being disruptive enough to thwart the opposition's chances.
But in the series against the Devils, and particularly in Games 4 and 5, the Lightning played the kind of team defense they knew they could play and Bolts' fans had been clamoring for them to play.
They played championship caliber defense.
And it wasn't just the defenseman doing the heavy lifting. It was all five skaters on the ice defending as a group and then Andrei Vasilevskiy behind them to bail them out if the Devils did get an opening.

"The stakes are higher, obviously, I think that's part of it," Tampa Bay veteran defenseman Anton Stralman said. "Everybody's giving their max. Sometimes during the regular season, you lose that a little bit, and we definitely lost that edge some times in the regular season. But right now, we play good, we feel confident about it. I think just to wipe our PK record clean and start from scratch has been a big thing for us as well, played some really good PK. It's been fun to watch."
The Lightning did all the little things right. They were on the right side of pucks. They didn't shirk their defensive responsibilities. They disrupted the Devils' set up by getting in passing lanes and not letting them get open looks. When New Jersey was able to fire off a shot, often times it got blocked. And, like Stralman said, the penalty kill was outstanding, going 16-for-19 for the series, including 1-for- 1 on Saturday.
"It was great, boys were trying to block shots," Lightning rookie defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said about the Bolts' defensive effort following the game. "At some point, I saw three guys trying to block one shot. To see guys like Cally and even young guys blocking shots and getting in the shooting lane making plays, it's a lot of pressure out there. Fans are cheering and yelling and the other team is playing their best and under a lot of pressure at making plays."
Over the final two games of the series, the Lightning allowed a combined two goals. One of those goals came on a 5-on-3 power play early in Game 4. The other was a 6-on-5 goal with the New Jersey net empty and the Devils trying anything to change their fortunes.
"When it comes to the playoffs, you need your habits, you need your defensive habits," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said from his postgame press conference. "You look down the line, the guys dug their heels in and understood. They put team ahead of self. In the end, that's what they did, and when you do that, good things will happen."

2. SERG-ING AHEAD
Lightning rookie defenseman Mikhail Sergachev played just 7:39 of Game 1, the Bolts trying to ease the youngster into his first NHL playoff experience.
By Game 5, however, Sergachev was ready to make an impact on the series.
And in the process, he scored the biggest goal of his NHL career to date.
With no score in the first period, Sergachev was the player to break through for the game's opening goal and cap an early onslaught of chances for the Lightning. From the top of the right circle, Sergachev got the puck from Tony Cirelli with space, Cirelli and Gourde creating a turnover behind the Devils' net with their relentless forecheck.
Sergachev unleashed a shot into traffic that found its way through four bodies to finally get past Cory Schneider, who proved almost impossible to beat in Game 5.
Sergachev became just the third Lightning rookie defenseman to score a goal in the playoffs, joining Paul Ranger and Nikita Nesterov
"Huge goal, of course," Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy said. "He played well. He's still a young guy, but when he's on the ice, it doesn't look like he's a rookie. He plays a mature game."
At 19 years and 300 days old, Sergachev is the youngest Lightning player to ever score a goal in the postseason, eclipsing the mark set by Jason Weimer (20 years, 2 days) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal at Philadelphia.
"I think he handled himself very good," Stralman said. "He matured a lot over the course of the season. To see him out there in the playoffs, I know how I was the first time out there, the pace is unbelievable, it's not easy for sure. He's doing a great job."
Expect to see increased ice time for Sergachev as the Lightning advance deeper in the postseason and the Russian blueliner continues to get more comfortable with playoff hockey.
But judging by his Game 5 performance, his comfort level is at La-Z-Boy recliner right now.

3. CLOSING IT OUT
Another bugaboo of the Bolts, their inability to close teams out with a third period lead, was also wiped away in the first round series with the Devils.
The Lightning held a 2-1 lead going into the third period on the road in Game 4. They limited the Devils chances, even outshooting the Devils 13-10, to finish off the game and get the all-important road win in the series.
Saturday's effort to close out Game 5 was much the same. The Lightning got the early goal, had numerous chances in the second period to extend that lead with five power plays but never saw their defensive structure waiver despite frustration not being able to capitalize with the man advantage.
When Nikita Kucherov netted what would prove to be the game-winning goal at 12:27 of the third period, the game felt, effectively, over. With the way the Lightning were defending and their ability to close games out in this series, a two-goal lead seemed almost impossible for the Devils to overcome.
"Especially coming down to the wire in these games, when you have a chance to close a series out, that's when you have to bring out your best defense," Stralman said. "Really just make it hard on that opponent. They're a really good team. A lot of good offensive players. I think overall as a unit on the ice, we did a really good job defensively."
Even when Pat Maroon slipped a shot past Vasilevskiy with three minutes remaining and the Devils net empty, the sense was the Lightning would still find a way to clamp down on the Devils over the final 180 seconds and preserve the victory.
New Jersey never got another sniff at goal the rest of the way, the five in front blocking as many shots as they could and Vasilevskiy continuing his stellar play in net. Ryan Callahan added an exclamation point on the series with his empty-net tally with 1.7 seconds to go.
"Feels great, especially at home for our fans," said Kucherov, who set a new Lightning record for playoff points in a series after collecting his 10th point on his game-winning goal, breaking the old mark of nine points set multiple times previously. "I think we played well defensively and responsibly. Teams that play well defensively do well."
The Lightning are doing just that, playing well defensively and responsibly. And they're closing teams down in the third period when they have the lead.
Seems like a recipe for continued success in the playoffs.