Lightning face major test in Game 2 versus Boston

The Tampa Bay Lightning will get their first true test of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Monday in Game 2 when they attempt to level their best-of-seven series with the Bruins 1-1 before the setting shifts to Boston.

Sure, the Lightning were challenged by New Jersey when they racked up a heap of third-period penalties and lost Game 3 of that Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. Tampa Bay responded with perhaps its best game of the playoffs so far, tightening the screws defensively to defeat Devils 3-1 in Game 4 and close out the series the following game at home.
But had the Lightning lost that Game 4 to New Jersey, the series would have merely been tied 2-2, right where home ice would dictate the series should be. Game 4 against New Jersey wasn't close to a must-win.
Monday's Game 2 against Boston might not be a must-win either. But it's as close as one can be.
A loss Monday would put the Lightning in a 0-2 hole heading to Boston, where they've lost 16 of their last 20 games, including postseason contests. The Bruins won the opening game in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series 6-2 at AMALIE Arena Saturday.

"You lose that game in triple overtime 1-0 or you lose 6-2, it's 1-0 for (the Bruins)," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said following the Bolts' practice session Sunday at the Ice Sports Forum. 'Perfect example is the San Jose - Vegas series. 7-0 Vegas wins (Game 1), (The Sharks) win the next game. Our mindset is we win the next game, we'll tie the series up and we'll go from there."
Doing so will require the Lightning to reach another level in their play. Boston brought an intensity to Game 1 that the Lightning weren't ready to match. Perhaps the six days between games got the Bolts out of their playoff groove. Or maybe the Bruins ratcheted up their play after facing a do-or-die Game 7 versus Toronto three nights earlier to advance out of the first round.
Whatever the reason, the Bruins were more prepared for the increased intensity level of the second round than the Bolts.
The Lightning worked Sunday to make sure that doesn't happen again.
"To be honest, I don't know if I bet you all five games in the Jersey series we had more intensity than we had in Game 1 last night," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said. "And that's just not going to get it done. With every round, you have to elevate your game, your intensity, everything. And we didn't. We took a step back. And a really good team showed us what happens when you do that. You can sit here and say we outshot them, outattempted them, outchanced them, all that stuff, but all that really matters is the fact they beat us 6-2. And really it was 7-2. They had one taken away on a penalty. So let's call it how it is. We'll make sure we don't make that mistake again."
To that end, the Lightning held a spirited practice Sunday focusing on breakouts, special teams play and finishing chances. The most frustrating aspect of Saturday's game, the loss notwithstanding, was the numerous scoring opportunities the Lightning failed to capitalize on. The Bolts held a 36-24 shot advantage over the Bruins and, arguably, had the better chances to score.
But it was the opportunistic Bruins who beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy five times and added an empty-net tally for good measure. And it was the Bruins who turned a 3-2 lead going into the third period into a 6-2 runaway with three-unanswered goals over the final 20 minutes.

"Woulda, coulda, shoulda,"Cooper said about the Lightning not finishing their chances. "Of course we could finish a few, but let's just say we finish three more. It's 6-5. We're still not there. So, you've heard me say this many times, it's not how many you put in the net, it's what you keep out of the net. Giving up that many you're just not going to win. Like I said, collectively as a group we've got to buckle down when it comes to our end of the ice. And we didn't spend a whole lot of time there but when we did they were just skating right to center ice waiting for the puck drop. That can't happen."
The Lightning will have to keep close watch on the Bruins' top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, which accounted for 11 of Boston's 17 total points from Game 1 and have maybe been the best line in the 2018 playoffs. That trio didn't spend a lot of time in the offensive zone but made it count when they were there. Bergeron scored a pair of goals, Pastrnak tallied four assists and Marchand also recorded a four-point night, including scoring the dagger goal to put the Bruins up 4-2 early in the third period.
To hold those three in check, the Lightning simply must outwork them.
"I think when we're playing at our best is when we're on the forecheck and we're relentless and we're on the puck and the other team feels like we have six guys on the ice," Tampa Bay rookie Yanni Gourde said. "I think that's the mentality we need to have, like giving them nothing. Every time we step on the ice, they have to feel like there's a guy on top of them every single time they get the puck. I think maybe we didn't do that that much in the last game and that's something we should bring definitely to Game 2."
Added Cooper: "Play hard on them. Just make life miserable. At the end of the game, you want their players to be like, 'Oh man, we've got to play them again?' And we didn't make them feel like that, it was more of a, 'Oh man, can't wait to play those guys again.' And that's got to change."