I expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to come out more engaged and motivated after a lethargic Game 1 loss to the New York Islanders. Instead, what I saw was a team that made every shift a living nightmare for their opponent. The Lightning was aggressive, angry, and unrelenting in their pressure all evening. The team we saw last night was the team that won a Stanley Cup less than a year ago.
The issues that plagued Tampa Bay in Game 1, poor puck management, indecisiveness with the puck, a lack of motivation (or “fire,” as Blake Coleman said), were rectified en route to a 4-2 win Tuesday night.