Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what might have been.
This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky.
Tampa Bay Lightning:
How They Finished: 46-25-11 103 points
2nd in Southeast, 5th in Eastern Conference.
What Went Wrong:
After watching Game 7 it's hard to say anything went wrong for either team.
It was an exceptionally played game where both goaltenders performed well. It was a shame someone had to lose.
But someone did end up losing the game and it was the Lightning. The thing that did them in was the Bruins played their best defensive game of the series.
Boston only allowed 24 shots on goal with only four of them coming off the stick of Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier & Steven Stamkos.
Meanwhile Boston threw everything but the kitchen sink at Dwayne Roloson sending 38 shots his way. Roloson was able to stop 37 of them but he couldn't stop Nathan Horton's deflection at the 12:27 mark of the 3rd period which gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
That lead would hold up as Tampa had trouble penetrating the offensive zone the rest of the game thanks to an aggressive forecheck by the Bruins.
When it was all said & done Boston would hold on to win 1-0 and clinch a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals while all Tampa could do is wonder what might have been.
Where Do They Go From Here:
For the previous two seasons I said Tampa was one of the more talented teams in the Eastern Conference only to watch them underachieve. This year I said the same thing only to watch them overachieve and fall one game short of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Lightning finally have stable ownership and Steve Yzerman did a magnificent job in his 1st season as General Manager adding players to the roster to help the Lightning get as far as they did.
The cap space for Tampa next season is projected to be at around $22 million. Most of the core players are in place but there are a couple free agents Yzerman will have to make a decision on.
Simon Gagne has 17 goals and 23 assists in his 1st season in Tampa while Sean Bergenheim had 9 goals this post-season. Eric Brewer help solidify the blueline for the Lightning while Roloson's play in net allowed Tampa to make a cup run.
Whether all or any of these four players return depends on Steven Stamkos. He is a restricted free agent and you can bet Tampa will do everything they can to lock him up to a long term deal. How much Stamkos is signed for will determine which free agents the Lightning will try to retain.
This is a good core of players in Tampa Bay and now they have the ownership in place where they should be able to compete year in and year out.
They went on a cup run that reminded their fans of 2004. While they didn't have the same success as they did in 2004 I compare this Lightning team to the 2003 team that was just learning how to win.
Next season the Lightning won't take any team by surprise but I think it's safe to say that Tampa Bay is once again a legit Stanley Cup contender.
For the 1st time in seven years things are sunny in Tampa if you are a hockey fan.
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