There was little said in the Penguins locker room after Sunday night’s Game 5 loss.
But the stark reality of the situation had clearly sunk in: the Penguins face elimination for the first time this postseason after losing, 4-3, in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who now hold a 3-2 series lead.
One repeated refrain centered on the premise that the winner of the Eastern Conference final needs four wins, not three.
Neither team has done that yet. “It’s not first to three, it’s first to four,” said winger Patric Hornqvist.
“Obviously they’re in a better spot than us right now, but still if we play the game we know we’re going to be fine here.