Lightning learn from opening loss, prepare for big Game 2
Jun 6, 2015, 12:18 AM
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper talks to his team during practice at the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Friday, June 5, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. The Chicago Blackhawks lead the best-of-seven games series 1-0. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — After surviving 21 tumultuous playoff games over the past seven weeks, the Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t about to get discouraged after losing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That doesn’t mean the Lightning haven’t spent the past two days stewing about how to improve when the series continues in Game 2 on Saturday night.
The Chicago Blackhawks pulled out a 2-1 victory in the opener despite not scoring until the final seven minutes, extending their lengthy history of grit under pressure. Tampa Bay regretted giving that opportunity to the Hawks, who could take a 2-0 series lead back to Chicago unless the Lightning play every minute with urgency at Amalie Arena.
“I think we learned a lesson there,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said Friday. “We’ve got to continue to pressure. (The way) we look at it, maybe if we were able to generate a couple more chances to get that second goal, maybe it would have been a different game.”
The Lightning spent the past two days feeling largely good about the way they played — except in the third period. Such a tentative finish could haunt a young team with just one Stanley Cup champion on its roster, but the Lightning don’t seem to be that type of team.
Lightning veteran Brendan Morrow puts it this way: “I can give my kid Froot Loops, and an hour later he’ll tell me he hasn’t had any yet, and he wants some Froot Loops. So yeah, that memory is a good thing when you can let it roll off your back, and we’re
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
