Like most dynastic teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t used to failing in important games. As they won two straight Stanley Cups and reached the doorstep of a third, the Bolts racked up a 44-18 record in the playoffs — rarely facing elimination, though always answering the call when they needed to. But for the […]
For hockey fans ready to settle into one of the best on-paper matchups in Stanley Cup Final history, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Game 3 victory was the kind of counterpunch that could help this series live up to its immense billing. Tampa Bay badly needed to change the mood of the series after falling behind […]
All year long, we wondered whether the unique circumstances of the 2021-22 NHL season — with a deep field of contenders and scoring at a generational high — would collide with the playoffs’ usual reputation for unpredictability to deliver an extra dose of chaos. But in the end, this postseason has instead given us a […]
In a sport as chaotic as hockey, it can be hard for favorites to deliver in the playoffs. There’s a reason that we frequently see great teams from the regular season flame out early in the postseason, while the whole tournament often feels like little more than a battle of streaky goaltending. This year was […]
Although things looked a bit touch-and-go for a while around New Year’s, the NHL’s first full, 82-game regular season since 2018-19 finished up over the weekend. Now the league pivots to playoff mode, a whole new season of hockey that usually promises to be more bone-crunching and defensive-minded — but could prove to be unusually […]