Wow, - it has been quite a day.
This morning, I previewed this game tonight - and tried as I might, I couldn’t muster much optimism entering Tampa on a four-game losing streak, going up against the No. 1 team in the division/league. Who could blame me? The Columbus Blue Jackets put on a pathetic performance against the Detroit Red Wings just a few days ago.
But the crew that was present in Detroit didn’t look like the same crew that showed up to Amalie Arena tonight. The team that showed up tonight looked like a team that is prepared to claw its way into the bottom slot of playoff contention, no matter how ugly it gets.