They were down 30-6 in shots on goal at one point Monday. Yes the score was 1-1, but that was only because of Vasilevskiy.
"We didn't compete [Monday night], and when you don't compete that's what happens," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.
Stamkos likened the game in Philadelphia to the one the Lightning played at the Calgary Flames on Jan. 5, when they were getting shots but never really competed hard enough, always a step behind, he said, in a 3-1 loss.
That was a disturbing enough loss that the Lightning held a team meeting the following day, an off-day in Edmonton. They won seven in a row after that, the first indication of them turning around what was to that point a disappointing season.
They've won 20 of 26 since that loss in Calgary. That includes Monday.
"Let's put things into [perspective] here, we just ripped off nine in a row against some pretty good teams," Stamkos said. "The beauty about this sport is we got a game [Tuesday] against a divisional opponent and we obviously have to have a bounce-back."
He's confident they'll deliver. That's what a nine-game winning streak does for a team; it brings confidence.
"I expect a bounce-back from this group," Stamkos said. "Let's not get all panicky here and worried. That was a [lousy] game, we realize that, but we have to get back to work [Tuesday]."