Look at the defense. Victor Hedman is the clear leader. He logs minutes and makes plays all over the ice, and he has been no less aggressive without Stralman, his usual steady partner. Garrison scored an overtime goal in Game 4 against the Islanders. Cooper has so many options; he has played eight defensemen in these playoffs and often dressed seven at a time.
Now, the forwards. There are scorers: Nikita Kucherov (nine goals, first in the NHL), Johnson (13 points, second in the NHL), Alex Killorn (nine points), Drouin (nine points). There are gritty veterans: Boyle, Ryan Callahan. There are defensive stalwarts: Palat, Valtteri Filppula.
"All year we knew we had a good team," Callahan said. "Obviously some very key guys are out of our lineup right now. It's an opportunity for other guys to step up and step in and maybe play some more minutes, and guys have taken advantage of that."
Yes, the Lightning had arguably the easiest bracket in the Atlantic Division and will have to be better in the conference final, whether they play the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals. But advancing in 10 games is impressive, especially under the circumstances. They can be even better, especially if they get Stralman, Stamkos or both back.
"They're leaders of our team, core guys who do so much for us," Boyle said. "To go down, they can't help us. On a personal level you feel for those guys. Everyone did a pretty good job of stepping up and trying to elevate their game for the rest of the guys, but for them too. We want to keep playing here as long as we can."