The Tampa Bay Lightning knows from experience that it’s time to get to work and not panic.
Similarly, the New York Islanders find themselves down 2-0 in the NHL playoffs after playing well at times but losing their first two games on the road.
Both teams realize that simply returning to home ice on Thursday night won’t be enough to change the course of their first-round matchups — the Lightning against Florida and the Islanders against Carolina.
New York lost a three-goal lead in their Game 2 defeat to the Hurricanes, while Tampa Bay fell behind 2-0 in their series against the Panthers after dropping a pair of one-goal games.
In Game 1, a late empty-net goal made the difference, and Game 2 was decided by Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime winner.
“They’re really exciting. You’re on the edge of your seat.
There are big saves at both ends of the ice, But in the end, they made the last play. And they’ve done it both nights,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.
“And we can’t hang our hat on: ’Wow, we were close.’ That’s what teams that are playing golf right now are saying,” Cooper added. “If we don’t want to be that, we have to be the team that makes the extra play.”
While the Lightning have a star-studded roster with many players who were part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, they’ve faced similar situations before. Two years ago, they came back from losing the first two games of the East final against the Rangers to reach a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
“Obviously it’s a big hole, but we have done it before,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.
Cooper emphasized that there’s only one way to approach the situation: one game at a time.
