The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a promising team for several seasons now, a well-run club with exciting young players, a clever, charismatic coach and enviable depth. On Friday, Tampa Bay stopped being a promising team. Its 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers established it as the best club in the Eastern Conference and a legitimately great team.
It’s the kind of moment that never comes for some teams. NHL franchises are a little bit like lumps of glittering rock of indeterminate formation, each with its shiny, glittering qualities that catch the eye and promise wondrous possibility. But not all that gleams is gold, and it is the crucible of the Stanley Cup playoffs that separates clubs with substance from those which merely have flash.
Many excellent regular-season teams never pass the test. The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks in recent years are good examples of teams that shone beautifully in the regular season but couldn’t stand the heat of that crucible.
After a first-round sweep a year ago, there was some question as to whether the Lightning were of similar composition. This was a ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Lightning’s Greatness Realized with Win over Rangers, Trip to Stanley Cup Final
May 29th, 2015 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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