Lightning looking to turn page on recent playoff disappointment

TAMPA -- The success that had become so common for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over much of the past decade has failed to materialize in recent history.

Tampa Bay has been eliminated in the Eastern Conference First Round in each of the past three seasons, winning just four games combined in those series and going 1-7 on home ice.

It's a trend that the locker room knows can't continue heading into Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday (5:45 p.m. ET; The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

"The biggest thing for us is being ready for that Game 1," Lightning forward Brayden Point said. "I think in the last few years we've let Game 1 slip and you're behind the eight ball already. I think just being ready for that and having a better Game 1."

Point is right.

Tampa Bay has lost its past four playoff series dating back to the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, which the Colorado Avalanche won in six games. In those four series, the Lightning have lost Game 1 three times, and after their one win (7-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023), they followed it up with three straight losses.

However, getting off to a better start in the series isn't the only thing the Lightning need to work on.

"An overtime win would be nice," goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy said, referencing Tampa Bay's 0-6 record in overtime games in the past four series. "But we have to put (the past) behind us. It's back to zeroes and this is a tough opponent. They are fast, skilled and one of the hardest teams in the NHL right now. We have to outwork them."

If there's one thing the Lightning can rely on, it's their playoff experience.

Much of the core of their back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in 2020 and 2021 remain on the roster, including Point, Vasilevskiy, forwards Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli, and defensemen Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak. Hedman, however, is unlikely to play in the first round as he remains away on personal leave.

Although Point wants to believe that experience can carry Tampa Bay through this recent playoff lull, he warns that experience alone isn't good enough without effort and execution.

"We've got some guys that have played a lot of playoff games, and we are definitely going to lean on those guys," Point said. "But for us, the biggest thing is making sure we have a solid start to this series.

"Hopefully we're ready to play responsible and sharp so we can have a good first one."