Lightning aim to wrap up series in Game 5

When the Tampa Bay Lightning advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, they were bruised, beaten up and worn down by the time they dropped the puck for Game 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Lightning needed seven games just to get out of the first round Eastern Conference Quarterfinal versus the Red Wings, rallying from a late 2-0 deficit in Game 4 at Detroit to win an epic thriller in overtime and tie the series 2-2, then had to win Games 6 and 7 to move on.

They won the first three games in the next round against Montreal but missed out on an opportunity to close the series early after dropping Games 4 and 5 before wrapping it up in six.

The New York Rangers were waiting in the Eastern Conference Final, and the Lightning fought through a back-and-forth series to prevail in seven games, becoming the first team to defeat the Rangers in a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

When they got to the Cup Final, the Lightning didn't have enough in the tank to unlock the defensive stranglehold Chicago held on the series and lost the final three games to fall in six, the first time all season the Bolts dropped three games in a row.

To go on a long, sustained playoff run and complete the mission of winning a Stanley Cup, you need a little luck to go your way. You need your players, whether it's your superstars or role players, to make plays in critical moments.

And you need to close out a series when you have a chance.

The Lightning have that opportunity Wednesday. Tampa Bay owns a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven First Round against Columbus and has taken control of the series by winning the last two games. With a victory in Game 5, the Lightning will not only finally put to rest last year's playoff disappointment against the Blue Jackets, but they'll set themselves up more favorably to go deep in this postseason.

"The playoffs are a lot of games. The one year we went to the Final, I think every series we went through was about six or seven games. By the time the Final hit, we were pretty banged up and tired from it," said Tyler Johnson, who had to play the Cup Final with a broken wrist but was a driving force behind the Lightning's playoff success to that point and a leading contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy until his injury. "It's a little better to try to play as few games as possible, but we're going to have to have a really good game tomorrow."

Tampa Bay is 6-0 all-time when holding a 3-1 series lead. In five of those previous six series, the Lightning have ended it early in Game 5. The only time they didn't was the aforementioned 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinal against Montreal when they dropped Game 5 on the road 2-1 but came home to win Game 6 by a 4-1 count and move on to the Eastern Conference Final.

"The key to that is closing the team out," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "The early part is just a luxury."

Cooper explained how these playoffs - like everything else in 2020 - will be different. Typically, a team that closes an opponent out early while waiting for their next series has the opportunity to go home and relax with friends and family, maybe go out to a nice dinner. Just get back to some sense of normalcy before embarking on another grind of a series.

With teams staying in their respective bubbles, however, that option doesn't exist.

"If we're fortunate enough to have this happen, how are we going to spend our time during that time?" Cooper questioned. "I think for sure the rest and recovery is a big part of it, especially, no matter what, Game 1 has affected both teams. So that would be a luxury. But all I care about is closing the series out and we'll deal with the aftereffects after."

Tampa Bay can't look past Columbus just because they have a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. The Blue Jackets have proven capable of rallying. Plus, the Lightning are expecting the toughest challenge yet from one of the hardest-working teams in the NHL.

"The fourth one's the hardest one to win," Cooper said. "But you need to get four. We're only three-quarters of the way there. You just have to match the desperation of the other team. You know that when your season's in the balance how they're going to come out. If we can match that desperation, it just helps. But getting your team to that part, not thinking too far ahead, that's going to be our job as a staff is ingraining that into our guys. It's tough because clearly you're not in the same situation as the other team, but you have to put yourself in that mindset. That'll be our job."