TAMPA, Fla. -- For the first time in the Jon Cooper era, the Lightning enter the final game of the season knowing it will be the last when the final buzzer sounds.
There will be no playoffs in Tampa Bay this year.
The Lightning were officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday when the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period and clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
So as Tampa Bay hosts Buffalo in the regular-season finale Sunday, the Lightning play out the string before packing their bags and head into the uncertainty of the offseason despite a strong run from last in the conference in January to within a point of the final playoff spot with two days left in the season.